Ghaziabad: Commuting on Delhi-Meerut Expressway and Eastern Peripheral Expressway will become costlier as NHAI is set to hike toll rates, effective from April 1 midnight.
With an average hike of about 4%, from Sarai Kale Khan, for instance, the revised one-way toll to Rasoolpur Sikrod, Bhojpur and Kashi main plaza for a car, van, or light motor vehicle will be Rs 115, Rs 145 and Rs 170, respectively. The rates for a return journey on the same route will be Rs 170, Rs 215 and Rs 255, respectively.
For light commercial vehicles, light goods vehicles, or minibuses, the one-way journey from Sarai Kale Khan to Rasoolpur Sikrod, Bhojpur and Kashi main plaza will be Rs 185, Rs 235 and Rs 275, respectively, and rates for the return journey will be Rs 275, Rs 350 and Rs 465. Buses and trucks (up to two axles) will be charged Rs 580 for a one-way journey from Delhi to Meerut, and Rs 870 for a return trip.
Outbound motorists from Delhi, who exit the eway anywhere before Dasna, currently don’t have to pay a toll.
“Cars and other light vehicles taking the DME from Indirapuram will be charged a toll of Rs 60 for a one-way journey to Rasoolpur Sikrod and Rs 90 on return. Commuters will have to pay Rs 90 toll for travelling till Bhojpur (Rs 135 on return) and Rs 115 till Kashi main plaza (Rs 280 on return). Commercial vehicles’ toll from Indirapuram to Meerut is now Rs 185, a Rs 10 increase,” an NHAI official said.
For the Dundahera to Meerut stretch, light vehicles will be charged Rs 90 (up by Rs 5) and commercial vehicles Rs 150 (up by Rs 10). Similarly, from Dasna to Meerut, light vehicles will pay Rs 75 (up Rs 5) and commercial vehicles Rs 125 (up Rs 10). Rates for other types of vehicles, including buses or trucks (two axles), MAV/three-axle vehicles, MAV 4-6 axle, and oversized vehicles (seven or more axles) have also gone up.
The revised rates aim to support maintenance and operational costs, an NHAI official said.
In June last year, NHAI had hiked toll charges on DME and EPE by 5%.
Closed toll has been implemented on the 82km access-controlled expressway stretch, under which all exits have been equipped with FASTag readers so that commuters only pay for the actual distance travelled. Cameras have been installed at all entry and exit points of the DME to calculate the distance travelled by any vehicle to work in combination with the tag readers.
Toll rates have been hiked on the EPE as well.
