Toll Regulatory Board OKs NLEX toll adjustments

MANILA, Philippines — The North Luzon Expressway Corp. reported yesterday that the Toll Regulatory Board (TRB) has approved two of its toll rate adjustments for the expressway, which authorizes the company to collect a minimum additional P10 toll from Quezon City to Bocaue, Bulacan and 18 centavos per kilometer onwards.

The rate adjustment for Class 1 vehicles or cars and vans would increase the current flat rate of P45 to P55 from the Balintawak and Mindanao Avenue toll plazas in Quezon City to Bocaue that also covers Valenzuela City, and the Bulacan towns of Meycauayan and Marilao.

Class 2 vehicles (buses and small trucks) on the same corridor will pay an additional P23 and Class 3 vehicles (large trucks/trailers) will pay an additional P29. 

In a statement, NLEX said the toll adjustments were made following the opening of the recently completed elevated 5.65-km expressway NLEX Harbor Link Segment 10 traversing Valenzuela, Malabon and Caloocan City and also a comprehensive review of the outstanding petitions for toll adjustment.

The initial segment of the NLEX Harbor Link will start collecting on March 20 the toll of P55 for Class I vehicles, P68 for Class 2 trucks and P74 for Class 3 trucks.

“Included in the adjustments are the new add-on toll rate of P6 applicable to the open system on the completion of the Harbor Link Segment 10 and the first tranche of the approved periodic adjustments due in 2013 and 2015 amounting to an additional P4 in the open system and 18 centavos per kilometer in the closed system,” the company said. 

Class 1, 2 and 3 vehicles traveling from Balintawak or Mindanao Avenue to Sta. Ines, Mabalacat City would pay additional toll of P22, P56 and P67 respectively.

Since 2012, NLEX Corp. had not implemented the periodic toll rate increase covered by its concession agreement with the government.

“This, however, has not prevented the tollway company from making new investments to improve and enhance the services to its thousands of motorists,” the company said.

It emphasized that it has invested on the upkeep and improvement of NLEX to prevent deterioration of the expressway and maintain its international standards through the years.

Apart from expanding the expressway by building the new Segments 9 and 10, several projects were implemented to decongest traffic and further improve customer experience.

Among the projects completed were the expansion of toll plazas in Balintawak, Mindanao Ave., Meycauayan, Bocaue, Marilao, San Fernando, Mexico and Angeles City in Pampanga to considerably bring relief to motorists and reduce transaction time at the toll lanes.

The company also elevated its customer experience by innovating through system enhancements such as use of portable toll collection system, display of Easytrip balances at the toll lanes and conversion of some toll lanes to exclusive electronic toll collection (ETC) lanes.

NLEX Corp. president and general manager Luigi Bautista earlier said the company aims to generate P16 billion in revenues this year, assuming that the toll adjustments would be in place. This is higher than the P12 billion in revenues posted last year.

The company earlier said it is gearing up to finish a number of big-ticket projects this year following the completion of more than 20 projects last year.

Among the projects expected to be completed this year are the additional toll lanes in San Fernando, Mexico and Angeles and the expanded connecting ramps of NLEX-SCTEX, as well as new NLEX drive-and-dine service facility.