Australian toll roads are found in the eastern states of New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland. Most of the toll roads are within the urban limits of Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, with the exception of the Toowoomba Bypass in Toowoomba.
Most of the toll roads are partially owned or operated by Transurban. All toll roads in Australia are tolled electronically (cashless) using free-flow tolling. All toll collection points are toll gantries, with the last cash toll booths in the country closed in July 2013 on the M5 South West Motorway.
Tolls are collected from an e-TAG transponder attached to the vehicle's windscreen. The first e-TAG was developed in the 1990s by Transurban who owns and operates the CityLink in Melbourne in preparation for what would be one of the world's first 'fully electronic' tollways. There are different e-TAG retailers across the country, such as Transurban's Linkt or Transport for NSW's e-Toll.
According to Professor Mark Hickman, the chair of Transport at the University of Queensland's School of Civil Engineering, toll roads in Australia have not reached expected traffic volumes and do not always relieve congestion in the short-term. [1] Melbourne's CityLink tollway (M1 and M2 sections) carry the highest volume of traffic and also generate the highest revenue of all the tollways (by a substantial amount). This is mainly due to the necessary cross-city and North (Melbourne Airport-bound) corridors.
Toll road | Class A toll prices [lower-alpha 1] | Class B toll prices [lower-alpha 1] | Toll increase [18] | Toll concessionaire | Expiry of toll concession [19] | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Flagfall | Charge per km | Toll cap | |||||
Westlink M7 | – | $0.4756 | $9.51 | 3 x of Class A prices | Quarterly on 1 January, 1 April, 1 July, and 1 October, by quarterly CPI | NorthWestern Roads (NWR) Group | June 2048 |
WestConnex (M4, M5 East, M8) | $1.57 | $0.5814 | $11.11 | 3 x of Class A prices | Annually on 1 January, by the greater of CPI or 4% until December 2040, then by CPI only | Sydney Transport Partners (9% Tawreed Investments Limited, 10.5% CPPIB, 10% Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ), 20.5% Australian Super, 50% Transurban) | 2060 |
Toll road | Class A toll prices [lower-alpha 1] | Class B toll prices [lower-alpha 1] | Toll increase [22] | Toll concessionaire | Expiry of toll concession [19] |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
NorthConnex | $9.35 | $28.06 | Quarterly on 1 January, 1 April, 1 July, and 1 October, by the greater of quarterly CPI or 1% | NorthWestern Roads (NWR) Group | June 2048 |
M2 Hills Motorway | $2.76 (min.) $9.35 (max.) | $8.29 (min.) $28.06 (max.) | Quarterly on 1 January, 1 April, 1 July, and 1 October, by the greater of quarterly CPI or 1% | Transurban | June 2048 |
Lane Cove Tunnel | $3.90 | $13.14 | Quarterly on 1 January, 1 April, 1 July, and 1 October, by the greater of quarterly CPI or 1% | Transurban | June 2048 |
Military Road E-Ramp (to / from Warringah Freeway) | $1.95 | $6.57 | Quarterly on 1 January, 1 April, 1 July, and 1 October, by the greater of quarterly CPI or 1% | Transurban | June 2048 |
Cross City Tunnel | $3.17 (Sir John Young Crescent exit) $6.71 (otherwise) | $6.33 (Sir John Young Crescent exit) $13.42 (otherwise) | Quarterly on 1 January, 1 April, 1 July, and 1 October, by the greater of quarterly CPI or 1% | Transurban | December 2035 |
Eastern Distributor (northbound) | $9.19 | $18.39 | Quarterly on 1 January, 1 April, 1 July, and 1 October, by the greater of the weighted sum of quarterly AWE and quarterly CPI or 1% | Airport Motorway Limited (75.1% Transurban) | July 2048 |
M5 South-West Motorway | $5.49 | $16.46 | Quarterly on 1 January, 1 April, 1 July, and 1 October, by the greater of quarterly CPI or 1% | Interlink Roads (100% Transurban) | 10 December 2026 [23] [lower-alpha 2] |
Sydney Harbour Bridge (southbound) | $4.00 (max., varies by time of day) | Same as Class A prices | No regular toll increase | Transport for NSW [lower-alpha 3] | – |
Sydney Harbour Tunnel (southbound) | $4.00 (max., varies by time of day) | Same as Class A prices | No regular toll increase | Transport for NSW [lower-alpha 4] | – |
Toll road | Class 1 (Motorcycles) | Class 2 (Cars) | Class 3 (Light Commercial Vehicles) | Class 4 (Heavy Commercial Vehicles) | Toll increase | Toll concessionaire [25] | Expiry of toll concession [26] [27] | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Gateway Motorway | Murrarie toll point (Sir Leo Hielscher Bridges) | $2.73 | $5.45 | $8.18 | $18.41 | Annually on 1 July, by CPI | Transurban Queensland [lower-alpha 1] (62.5% owned by Transurban) | 31 December 2051 [28] |
Kuraby and Compton Road toll points | $1.61 | $3.21 | $4.83 | $10.86 | Annually on 1 July, by CPI | |||
Logan Motorway | Loganlea toll point | $1.03 | $2.06 | $3.10 | $6.96 | Annually on 1 July, by CPI | Transurban Queensland [lower-alpha 1] (62.5% owned by Transurban) | 31 December 2051 [29] |
Heathwood and Paradise Road toll points | $1.70 | $3.40 | $5.09 | $11.49 | Annually on 1 July, by CPI | |||
Go Between Bridge | $1.91 | $3.82 | $5.72 | $11.45 [lower-alpha 2] | Annually on 1 July, by CPI | Transurban Queensland [lower-alpha 3] (62.5% owned by Transurban) | December 2063 | |
CLEM7 | $3.06 | $6.12 | $9.18 | $18.36 [lower-alpha 4] | Annually on 1 July, by CPI | Transurban Queensland [lower-alpha 3] (62.5% owned by Transurban) | August 2051 | |
Legacy Way | $3.30 | $6.60 | $9.90 | $19.79 [lower-alpha 5] | Annually on 1 July, by CPI | Transurban Queensland [lower-alpha 3] (62.5% owned by Transurban) | June 2065 | |
AirportlinkM7 | Bowen Hills to Kedron or Toombul | $3.19 | $6.38 | $9.58 | $16.91 | Annually on 1 January, by CPI | Transurban Queensland [lower-alpha 1] (62.5% owned by Transurban) | July 2053 |
Kedron to Toombul | $2.40 | $4.78 | $7.18 | $12.68 | Annually on 1 January, by CPI | |||
Toowoomba Bypass | $1.36 | $2.71 | $6.72 | $26.96 | Annually on 1 July, by CPI | Department of Transport and Main Roads [lower-alpha 6] | – |
Toll road | Toll section or toll points | Maximum toll price per trip | Toll increase | Toll concessionaire | Expiry of toll concession | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cars | Motorcycles | Light Commercial Vehicles | Heavy Commercial Vehicles | |||||
CityLink [30] | Between Moreland Road and Brunswick Road | $2.97 | $1.49 | $4.76 | $8.92 [lower-alpha 1] | Quarterly on 1 January, 1 April, 1 July, and 1 October | Transurban | 13 January 2045 [31] [32] |
Between Racecourse Road and Dynon Road | $2.97 | $1.49 | $4.76 | $8.92 [lower-alpha 1] | ||||
Between Footscray Road and West Gate Freeway (Bolte Bridge) | $3.72 | $1.86 | $5.95 | $11.16 [lower-alpha 1] | ||||
Batman Avenue north of Olympic Boulevard (Exhibition Street Extension) | $1.86 | $0.93 | $2.98 | $5.58 [lower-alpha 1] | ||||
Batman Avenue entry south of Olympic Boulevard (eastbound only) | $1.86 | $0.93 | $2.98 | $5.58 [lower-alpha 1] | ||||
Batman Avenue exit south of Olympic Boulevard (westbound only) | $4.83 | $2.42 | $7.74 | $1450 [lower-alpha 1] | ||||
Domain Tunnel (westbound only) | $6.69 | $3.35 | $10.71 | $20.08 [lower-alpha 1] | ||||
Punt Road exit (westbound only) | $2.97 | $1.49 | $4.76 | $8.92 [lower-alpha 1] | ||||
Burnley Tunnel (eastbound only) | $6.69 | $3.35 | $10.71 | $20.08 [lower-alpha 1] | ||||
Between Church Street and Burnley Street (eastbound only) | $2.97 | $1.49 | $4.76 | $8.92 [lower-alpha 1] | ||||
Between Yarra Boulevard and Toorak Road / Monash Freeway | $2.97 | $1.49 | $4.76 | $8.92 [lower-alpha 1] | ||||
Trip cap | $11.16 | $5.58 | $17.85 | $33.47 [lower-alpha 1] | ||||
EastLink [33] | Tunnel section | $3.34 [lower-alpha 2] | $1.67 | $5.36 | $8.88 | Annually on 1 July | ConnectEast | 2043 [34] |
Each of the four toll points between Maroondah Highway and High Street Road | $0.48 [lower-alpha 2] | $0.24 | $0.78 | $1.29 | ||||
Each of the six toll points between High Street Road and Greens Road | $0.73 [lower-alpha 2] | $0.36 | $1.17 | $1.94 | ||||
Each of the two toll points between Greens Road and Mornington Peninsula Freeway | $1.71 [lower-alpha 2] | $0.85 | $2.72 | $4.51 | ||||
Trip cap | $7.29 [lower-alpha 2] | $3.64 | $11.66 | $19.32 | ||||
From West Gate Tunnel opening (expected 2025) | ||||||||
West Gate Freeway [35] | Between Millers Road and Williamstown Road | No toll | Rigid and articulated trucks and buses: $17.28 [lower-alpha 3] High Productivity Freight Vehicles: $25.92 [lower-alpha 4] | Transurban | 13 January 2045 [32] | |||
Hyde Street ramps | $3.57 | $1.79 | $5.72 | Covered by West Gate Freeway toll charges | ||||
West Gate Tunnel [35] | Within tunnel | $3.57 | $1.79 | $5.72 | ||||
City (Footscray Road, Dynon Road & Wurundjeri Way) [lower-alpha 5] | $5.72 | $2.86 | $9.15 |
The Sir Leo Hielscher Bridges, formerly and still commonly known as the Gateway Bridge, are a side-by-side pair of road bridges on the Gateway Motorway (M1), which skirts the eastern suburbs of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. The western bridge carries traffic to the north and the eastern bridge carries traffic to the south. They are the most eastern crossings of the Brisbane River and the closest to Moreton Bay, crossing at the Quarries Reach and linking the suburbs of Eagle Farm and Murarrie. The original western bridge was opened on 11 January 1986 and cost A$92 million to build. The duplicate bridge was opened in May 2010, and cost $350 million.
CityLink is a network of tollways in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, linking the Tullamarine, West Gate and Monash Freeways and incorporating Bolte Bridge, Burnley Tunnel and other works. In 1996, Transurban was awarded the contract to augment two existing freeways and construct two new toll roads – labelled the Western and Southern Links– directly linking a number of existing freeways to provide a continuous, high-capacity road route to, and around, the central business district. CityLink uses a free-flow tolling electronic toll collection system, called e-TAG. CityLink is currently maintained by Lendlease Services.
The Westlink M7 is a 40-kilometre (25 mi) tolled urban motorway in Sydney, New South Wales that is part of the Sydney Orbital Network. Owned by the NorthWestern Roads (NWR) Group, it connects three motorways: the M5 South-West Motorway at Prestons, the M4 Western Motorway at Eastern Creek, and the M2 Hills Motorway at Baulkham Hills.
Transurban is a road operator company that manages and develops urban toll road networks in Australia, Canada and the United States. It is listed on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX).
The Cross City Tunnel is a 2.1-kilometre long (1.3 mi) twin-road tunnel tollway located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The tunnel links Darling Harbour on the western fringe of the central business district to Rushcutters Bay in the Eastern Suburbs. Each of the twin tunnels has a different alignment, with the westbound tunnel running underneath William and Park Streets and the eastbound tunnel running underneath Bathurst Street.
The Gateway Motorway is a major tolled motorway in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia which includes the Sir Leo Hielscher Bridges. The motorway is operated by toll road operator Transurban.
The M2/M6 Logan Motorway is a 30-kilometre toll road between Ipswich and the M1 or Pacific Motorway at Loganholme, and the Gateway Motorway, providing access to the Gold Coast on the eastern seaboard and to the rural areas of the Darling Downs to the west. The M6 portion runs from the Pacific Motorway to the junction with the Gateway Motorway at Drewvale, where it then becomes the M2, continuing on to merge with the Ipswich Motorway at Gailes.
The Eastern Distributor is a 4.7-kilometre-long (2.9 mi) motorway in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Part of the M1, the motorway links the Sydney central business district with the south-east and Sydney Airport. The Eastern Distributor separates Sydney's Eastern Suburbs from Sydney's Inner-Southern Suburbs. The centre-piece is a 1.7 km (1.1 mi) tunnel running from Woolloomooloo to Surry Hills. Built as a build-own-operate-transfer project, it is 75.1% owned by Transurban.
The M7 Clem Jones Tunnel (CLEM7), known during its development as the North-South Bypass Tunnel (NSBT), is a A$3.2 billion motorway grade toll road under the Brisbane River, between Woolloongabba and Bowen Hills in Brisbane, Queensland. The tunnel was progressively opened to traffic from late on 15 March 2010 until just after midnight on 16 March 2010. It was completely open by 12:02 am.
M2 Hills Motorway is a 19.3-kilometre (12.0 mi) tolled urban motorway in Sydney, New South Wales that is part of the Sydney Orbital Network and the National Highway west of Pennant Hills Road. Owned by toll road operator Transurban, it forms majority of Sydney's M2 route, with the Lane Cove Tunnel constituting the rest of the M2 route.
The M4 Motorway is a 52.6-kilometre (32.7 mi) partially tolled dual carriageway motorway in Sydney, New South Wales that is designated the M4 route marker. The M4 designation is part of the wider A4 and M4 route designation, the M4 runs parallel/below ground to the Great Western Highway and Parramatta Road (A44).
The M5 Motorway is a 29-kilometre (18 mi) motorway located in Sydney, New South Wales that is part of the Sydney Orbital Network.
e-TAG is a free-flow tolling electronic toll collection system used on all tollways throughout Australia. It was originally developed by Transurban for use on their CityLink tollway in the late 1990s, with the system since adopted by all toll roads, bridges and tunnels in Australia. The technology had different names depending on the issuer, such as Breeze, Linkt, and E-toll. However, these are all interchangeable across Australia and no surcharges apply for use on other operators' toll roads.
Queensland Motorways was the company that managed the 70-kilometre-long Linkt network of tolled roads in Brisbane which includes the: Clem Jones Tunnel (CLEM7), Go Between Bridge, Gateway Motorway and Logan Motorway. It had its headquarters at Eight Mile Plains.
The M5 Legacy Way is a 4.6 kilometres (2.9 mi) long tunnel linking the Western Freeway at Toowong and the Inner City Bypass at Kelvin Grove, Brisbane. The project consisted of two bored tunnels carrying two motorway grade lanes of traffic in each direction. It opened on 25 June 2015 and is the fourth of five components of Brisbane City Council's TransApex Project. The tunnels will be tolled for approximately 45 years.
Linkt is Transurban's e-TAG tolling brand in Australia. Linkt first replaced the Roam Express brand in Sydney in 2017, followed by the go via brand in Queensland in May 2018, and then the Citylink brand in Melbourne in July that year. In August 2020, it also replaced the E-way brand that was used by Interlink Roads, the operator of M5 South-West Motorway and fully-owned by Transurban since October 2019.
RiverCity Motorway Group was a Queensland company that operated Brisbane’s first private tollway — the Clem Jones Tunnel (CLEM7). They also established FLOW Tolling, a tolling service provider. Rivercity Motorways Group won the rights to be the maintainer of the Clem Jones Tunnel. When the tunnel opened in 2010 it was to have a concession period of 45 years before it was handed back to the City of Brisbane. The value of the tunnel was written down by $1.56 billion to $258 million in 2010.
The Go Between Bridge, formerly known as the Hale Street Link, is a toll bridge for vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists over the Brisbane River in inner-city Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. The bridge connects Merivale and Cordelia Streets in West End to Hale Street and the Inner City Bypass at Milton. It is Brisbane's first inner-city traffic bridge in 40 years and carries around 12,000 vehicles per day. The bridge opened to traffic on 5 July 2010 and is now operated by Transurban Queensland.
WestConnex is a 33-kilometre (21 mi) predominantly underground motorway scheme in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. As of 2023, it is partially completed and partially still under construction. A joint project of the New South Wales and Federal governments, the motorway scheme is creating around 26 kilometres (16 mi) of new tunnels between Homebush and Kingsgrove, passing underneath Inner West suburbs including Haberfield and St Peters. The first of the tunnels, the M4 East, opened to traffic in July 2019. The second of the tunnels, the M8 Motorway, opened to traffic a year later in July 2020. The third of the tunnels which extend the M4 and M8 opened to traffic in January 2023, and the rest of the tunnels are expected to open to traffic in late 2023.
The M8 Motorway is a 13.4-kilometre (8.3 mi) tolled dual carriageway motorway in Sydney, New South Wales that is designated the M8 route marker. It consists predominantly of tunnels and includes tunnel connections to the future Western Harbour Tunnel & Beaches Link and the M6 Motorway.