Nagdhunga Tunnel Toll Collection Begins Today

Toll collection at the Nagdhunga tunnel begins today, Sunday, November 1. Every vehicle using the tunnel now pays a road usage fee, ending the free passage vehicles have had since it opened on July 27.

The new system took effect at midnight. Cars, vans, pickups, and other light vehicles pay Rs. 65 to enter Kathmandu and Rs. 60 to leave, while the heaviest vehicles pay up to Rs. 600. The full rate list for all four vehicle categories is in our earlier report.

Paying at the Booth

For now, drivers can pay in cash or by scanning a QR code at the toll booth, according to project chief Saujanya Nepal. He said an RFID card and tag system for automatic payment will be introduced later.

Once that system is running, vehicles fitted with an N-Tag, an RFID sticker on the windscreen, will have the toll deducted automatically at the gate. N-Tags are available from several commercial banks, including Global IME, Kumari, Nabil, Nepal Investment Mega, and Sanima, with prepaid balances of Rs. 1,000, Rs. 2,000, and Rs. 5,000.

Toll booths are staffed by the tunnel's service provider. The money collected goes into Road Board Nepal's account, and the Road Board and the Department of Roads oversee the collection.

Who Can Use the Tunnel

For its first month, the tunnel was open only to emergency vehicles. Private cars, jeeps, and vans were allowed on a trial basis from August 24, and after a section of the old road at Patleban subsided on September 2, most traffic leaving Kathmandu was sent through it too. The free period ended yesterday.

Motorcycles, scooters, three-wheelers, pedestrians, and vehicles carrying petrol, diesel, gas, or explosives are not allowed inside the tunnel and must use the old road.