Chennai: After being kept on hold during the Assembly election model code of conduct, revised toll charges at around 60 national highway toll plazas across Tamil Nadu will come into effect from Saturday, increasing road travel costs on key inter-city routes.Most of the plazas are located on Chennai’s outskirts and major corridors, including Paranur and Athur on the Trichy highway and the Vanagaram toll plaza on the Tambaram Bypass. Other key plazas that will witness revision include Surapattu and Nallur on the Chennai bypass corridor, Pattaraiperumbudur on the Chennai-Tirupati highway, and Samayapuram, Kappalur and Nanguneri on southern stretches. At Paranur toll plaza near Chengalpattu, fees for cars remain unchanged at ₹75, but charges for larger vehicle categories have been revised upward.The toll revision across National Highway plazas ranges between 3% and 7% under the annual wholesale price index-linked revision mechanism of NHAI. Following the revision, a car travelling between Chennai and Madurai is expected to pay around ₹80 extra for a round trip, while the additional toll burden for Chennai-Coimbatore travel could be around ₹100. A Trichy-Salem round trip may cost cars ₹40-₹50 more depending on the route taken.The increase is also expected to push up fares for taxis and tourist vans during the summer vacation season, with operators indicating that outstation package rates may rise by ₹300-₹800 for long-distance trips. “Diesel prices, driver salary and permit costs have already increased, and now toll charges are also going up every year,” said AManikandan of Aarumugham Travels.Truckers and freight operators said the annual revision would continue to raise logistics and construction costs. S Yuvaraj of the Tamil Nadu State Sand Lorry Owners Federation said transporters have repeatedly sought removal of toll plazas that have recovered project costs, but collections continue in the name of highway maintenance.Consumer activist T Sadagopan said, “Commuters and freight users were paying higher toll fees every year despite complaints over toilets, parking space, service roads and congestion remaining unresolved at several plazas.”According to recent data placed in Parliament, toll collections from National Highways in Tamil Nadu crossed ₹4,300 crore in 2024-25.
