Entry into Delhi to get easier as barrier free tolling starts at 9 highway points from next month

Anyone driving into Delhi through nine major highway points could soon skip the toll barrier altogether. The Municipal Corporation of Delhi is targeting installation of a multi-lane free-flow tolling system at these entry points by the end of October, a shift meant to cut down the long queues that commuters currently face at busy toll stops.

The nine locations picked for this first phase are DND Flyway, Rajokri, Kundli, Badarpur and Ghazipur, among others. These are high traffic corridors, and MCD officials admit that finishing installation in just a month and a half will not be easy given how much vehicle movement passes through them daily.

Approval from NHAI still pending


The October end deadline depends on one key step that has not happened yet. An MCD official said a joint survey with NHAI officials was carried out last week to assess the nine sites, but actual work on the ground can begin only once NHAI issues a no-objection certificate for the project. NHAI did not offer any comment when asked about the pending clearance.

Who pays for the new system

The switch to barrier free tolling does not mean commuters stop paying tolls, it only changes how the payment happens. The contractor appointed for toll collection, Sahakar Global, will bear the entire cost of setting up the new infrastructure, including gantries and other equipment. The company is estimated to spend close to ₹200 crore on this under its tender conditions. In return, MCD expects an annual revenue of about ₹964 crore from the overall toll collection contract, which covers all 154 plazas under its jurisdiction.

Ghazipur among the toughest spots to fix

Some of the nine chosen points already deal with heavy daily congestion, and Ghazipur is a clear example. Located on the Delhi-Meerut Expressway, this plaza handles a large volume of vehicles entering Delhi from Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand and sees traffic pile up on most days. MCD officials say installing gantries and other equipment here within the tight timeline will be especially challenging, since any construction work is likely to disrupt an already congested stretch.

A bigger national shift is underway

Delhi's move fits into a larger plan led by the central government. Union road transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari said India is aiming to make all toll booths on national highways barrier free by March 2027, a step he said could bring the government an annual benefit of ₹20,000 to ₹25,000 crore through FASTag based collection. Gadkari made these comments at the Global Fintech Fest 2026.

Gadkari, as reported by TOI, said FASTag adoption has already lifted toll collections nationally by about 10 per cent, adding nearly ₹7,000 crore and pushing total toll revenue past ₹82,000 crore. He added that more than 70 per cent of toll booths are expected to turn barrier free by December, with full coverage expected by March 2027. FASTag penetration at national highway toll plazas has crossed 98 per cent, with around 13 crore FASTags issued so far, he said.

The barrier free system works by combining FASTag with automatic number plate recognition technology instead of relying on physical boom barriers. Gadkari said this shift has already helped cut waiting time at toll booths, which earlier averaged around 12 minutes per vehicle, and has lowered fuel consumption, with studies estimating annual fuel savings of more than ₹5,250 crore from the system.

Beyond the nine highway points targeted for next month, MCD has set a year end goal of extending the free-flow tolling system across all 154 toll plazas it manages, meaning the change awaiting Delhi commuters now is only the first phase of a much wider rollout.

Inputs from TOI