Over 40 lakh FASTag passes issued since August as India targets barrier free toll collection by 2026 says Gadkari

By the end of 2026, a multi-lane free flow toll system will be implemented on highways, enabling vehicles to maintain speeds of up to 80 km/h.

People who use highways quite often will no longer have to stop at the toll plaza to pay the fee. Toll plazas will have a multi-lane free flow (MLFF) system by the end of 2026. This information was announced by Nitin Gadkari, Road Transport and Highways Minister. He also revealed that since August, around 40 lakh annual FASTag passes have been issued.

Highway users will benefit from a multi-lane free flow toll system by 2026, allowing speeds up to 80 km/h without stopping. The new system aims to save ₹1,500 crore in fuel and increase toll revenue by ₹6,000 crore

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The annual pass allows private cars to cross 200 toll plazas at ₹3,000 a year. However, it is important to note that the annual pass requires you to have a FASTag that is activated, and also the annual pass does not work at all tolls. The annual pass was introduced on 15th August.

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Regarding the multi-lane free-flow system, the minister announced that the newly implemented barrier-free seamless highway and expressway toll collection system will supersede the existing toll collection method, which requires vehicles to halt at toll plazas for deductions to be made from their FASTag accounts.

Gadkari said that by 2026, the government plans to introduce an advanced AI-based toll collection system across all 1,050 plazas, which include 350 private booths and 700 government-operated ones. He stated that vehicles will be able to maintain speeds of up to 80 km per hour on highways without needing to halt at toll points. He added that the new system is expected to save fuel worth ₹1,500 crore and boost toll revenue by ₹6,000 crore, while ensuring transparent and corruption-free collection.

A system is also being put in place where the vehicle owners will have to pay e-challans, toll fees and clear all dues to sell the vehicle or renew the registration.

Government sets ambitious highway construction pace

Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari said on Wednesday that the government aims to step up highway construction to 60 kilometres a day.

He reiterated that reaching a daily construction rate of 60 kilometres remains the immediate target. Gadkari also outlined a long term vision of positioning India as the world’s leading automobile market within the next eight to ten years.

He pointed out that the US automobile sector currently stands at around ₹78 lakh crore, followed by China at ₹47 lakh crore and India at ₹22 lakh crore. He stressed the importance of boosting agricultural growth to further strengthen the country’s GDP.