Policy on anvil to pay only for highway stretch used: Road Transport Secy

Travellers may soon pay only for the stretch of national highway they use instead of a general toll fee and the government is working on an intelligent transport management system for that, Road Transport and Highways Secretary Yudhvir Singh Malik said on Thursday.

"Instead of keeping a close toll policy, let us get in place an opening tolling policy through intelligent transport management system so that you the pay the toll only for the stretch of the road that you use," he said.

"We are soon coming out with the policy and within a year or so we should be able to put that in place," he said at an event organised here by industry chamber PHDCCI.

Many countries like US, Australia have been doing trials on the distance-based electronic tolling.

Malik also said a roll-on, roll-off (Ro-Ro) ferry has been planned for Surat "to other side of Gujarat", which will save about 600-700 km, he said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Rs 615 crore Ro-Ro ferry service last week connecting Ghogha in Saurashtras Bhavnagar district with Dahej in Bharuch district across the Gulf of Khambhat, also known as the Gulf of Cambay, along the Arabian sea coast in Gujarat.

Speaking at the event, Railway Board Chairman Ashwani Lohani said the bullet train between Ahmedabad and Mumbai covering the 508-km stretch in under three hours would be completed by 2022.

"We are also looking at a number of other high speed rail corridors. Ahmedabad-Mumbai is just a beginning," Lohani said without giving further details.

He also emphasised on the need to increase the speed of both passenger and freight trains.