The much-awaited and delayed 165-km Greater Noida-Agra Yamuna Expressway was inaugurated on Thursday, cutting travel time between New Delhi and the city limits of Agra by about half to two-and-a-half hours.
The faster ride through the six-lane elevated road would come at a cost. For car-owners, the toll tax for a one-way trip from Greater Noida's Pari Chowk to Agra would be Rs. 320 and Rs. 510 for a round trip.
Frequent travellers can look forward to discounts. If a motorist undertakes 20 or more trips a month, each journey would cost Rs. 255.
There's more good news. To start with, Jaypee group, which has built the road at a cost of Rs. 12,000 crore, has done away with toll charges till August 15.
The existing 24-km Noida-Greater Noida Expressway, which would be used by many motorists to hit the Yamuna Expressway, would be toll-free.
The expressway was inaugurated by Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav.
The project suffered delays for several reasons, including farmers' protests over land acquisition.