First barrier-less multi-lane free flow tolling system launched in Gujarat

New Delhi: Union Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari on Friday announced the launch of India’s first Multi-Lane Free Flow (MLFF) barrier-less tolling system at the Chorayasi Toll Plaza on the Surat-Bharuch section of National Highway-48 in Gujarat.

This marks a significant development in the National Highways tolling mechanism, allowing vehicles to pass through toll plazas without stopping.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Gadkari said the state-of-the-art system uses advanced technologies such as Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) with AI analytics and RFID-based FASTag for seamless and automatic toll collection.

Describing the development as a major milestone, Gadkari said the introduction of MLFF represents a key step towards digitisation of India’s tolling ecosystem and modernisation of NHs in line with global standards.

The barrier-less tolling system is expected to substantially reduce travel time, ease congestion on highways, improve fuel efficiency, lower vehicular emissions, and minimise human intervention in toll operations.

Gadkari added that the initiative will enhance the ‘ease of living’ for citizens and promote ‘ease of doing business’ by enabling faster and more efficient movement of goods and logistics across the country.

The minister had recently stated that barrier-free tolling would be implemented on several National Highways across the country starting from December.

At present, around 46,000 km out of the total 1.46 lakh km National Highway network are four-lane or more. Around 2,500 km of highways are high-speed corridors.

 As per the proposal of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has set a target to roll out barrier-free tolling across 10,000 km over the next two years.

The Multi-Lane Free Flow system integrates ANPR with artificial intelligence and FASTag-based electronic toll collection, enabling vehicles to maintain speed while tolls are deducted automatically. ANPR-based tolling has already been piloted on the Delhi-Meerut Expressway.