India's NH toll network expands 65% in five years; Rajasthan leads

The number of operational toll plazas on India's National Highway network has increased by nearly 65% over the last five years, reflecting the rapid expansion of the country's highway infrastructure.

According to data shared by Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha, the number of operational toll plazas rose from 733 in 2021-22 to 1,209 in 2025-26, an addition of 476 toll plazas over the period.

Rajasthan continues to have the highest number of toll plazas in the country, with 172 operational fee plazas in 2025-26, followed by Uttar Pradesh (141), Maharashtra (105) and Madhya Pradesh (98).

Among the major states, Maharashtra recorded one of the sharpest increases, with toll plazas rising from 59 in 2021-22 to 105 in 2025-26. Uttar Pradesh saw the number increase from 86 to 141, while Haryana more than doubled its toll plazas from 37 to 80 during the same period. Gujarat's toll plaza count also rose significantly, from 38 to 66.

The expansion comes alongside a sharp rise in toll collections. User fee collections on National Highways and Expressways increased from ₹33,928.66 crore in 2021-22 to ₹70,278.18 crore in 2025-26, including ₹1,795.18 crore collected through the annual pass scheme introduced last year.

The government also informed Parliament that it has temporarily discontinued toll collection at seven National Highway fee plazas across Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Karnataka and Kerala. The reasons include public agitation and law-and-order issues, landslides and other natural calamities, highway damage due to heavy rainfall, and highway widening works.

On the tolling policy, the Centre said it has undertaken several reforms over the past year to make the system more user-friendly while ensuring adequate resources for highway development. These include the introduction of an annual pass for private vehicles, lower toll rates on certain highway stretches, reduced penalties for vehicles without FASTag opting for UPI payments, and revised user fee norms for upgraded highways and partially operational expressways.