“Under this, when a National Expressway is not open end to end, the toll fee will be charged for the completed length at a lower rate as applicable for the national highway. The amended rules will come into effect from February 15, 2026,” the ministry said in a notification.
Direct savings for users
Until now, toll on national expressways was 25 percent higher than the normal national highway fee because of access control and faster travel. This higher fee was charged even if only a part of the expressway was open.
The amendment removes this 25 percent premium for unfinished corridors. Users will now pay the national highway rate for the operational stretch. The higher expressway rate will apply only after the entire corridor becomes fully operational.
Commuters will be charged only for the completed length that is open to traffic. This means drivers using partially open expressways will no longer pay expressway rates without end-to-end access. The reduced toll will apply to all national expressways that are partially open.
Faster trips and less congestion
The amendment aims to increase the use of open stretches and shift traffic from parallel national highways. The ministry said this will help decongest existing routes, enable faster movement of goods and passengers, and reduce pollution caused by congestion on older highways.
Temporary relief until projects finish
The reduced toll will remain in effect for up to one year from February 15, 2026, or until the expressway becomes fully operational, whichever is earlier. The amendment is titled the National Highways Fee (Determination of Rates and Collection) (Amendment) Rules, 2026.
The ministry called the move “another Government of India initiative to make journeys more seamless and economical” for users of national highways and expressways, several of which — including Chennai-Bengaluru, Delhi-Mumbai, Delhi-Katra, and Amritsar-Jamnagar — have opened in phases before full completion.
