NLEX Corp. is set to implement the second tranche of its toll collection at the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) and South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) connector road effective October 15.
NLEX Corp. said the increase is part of its staggered collection program on the toll to cushion the impact to expressway users.
Starting October 15, the fractional opening base toll rates for class 1 vehicles (regular cars and sport utility vehicles) will increase to P119 from P86; class 2 vehicles (buses and small trucks), P299 from P215; and class 3 vehicles (large trucks), P418 from P302 flat rates.
The company said in a statement it has secured approval from the Toll Regulatory Board to implement the updated toll rates for sections 1 and 2 of the NLEX-SLEX Connector.
The initial rates were implemented last 2023, four months after the opening of the Caloocan to España Section in March.
The current fractional opening base toll rates for Section 1 were implemented in August last year.
With the opening of Section 2 from España to Magsaysay boulevard in October 2023, NLEX Connector retained the original discounted rate, letting motorists use the longer stretch for almost a year with no toll adjustment, the company said.
Full rates will be implemented once the NLEX Connector project is completed, it added.
NLEX Corp. said the connector road has significantly improved the travel experience of motorists heading to Manila from the north and vice versa by reducing travel between C3 in Caloocan and Magsaysay boulevard in Manila to just seven minutes.
Providing an alternative route for all vehicle classes, this all-elevated expressway bolstered job and business opportunities in the areas it traverses by improving accessibility to and from the north, the company said.
It cited the trucking and logistics sector as one of the major industries that has benefited from the NLEX Connector, providing a reliable alternative route that is accessible 24/7, without truck bans, thus increasing travel convenience and improving movement of goods and cargo.
It has also become more possible for people residing in the north to commute to study in Metro Manila as this expressway provides faster and easier access to the University Belt and its surrounding areas, the company added..
NLEX Connector is the first expressway in the Philippines to implement a barrier-less system and uses 100 percent RFID, allowing faster transactions at toll plazas.