{"id":840822,"date":"2026-08-03T00:37:15","date_gmt":"2026-08-03T00:37:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/840822\/"},"modified":"2026-08-03T00:37:15","modified_gmt":"2026-08-03T00:37:15","slug":"sydney-toll-cuts-how-the-minns-governments-deal-with-transurban-will-change-motorway-pricing-from-next-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/840822\/","title":{"rendered":"Sydney toll cuts: How the Minns government\u2019s deal with Transurban will change motorway pricing from next year"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Matt O'Sullivan\" data-testid=\"author-avatar-image\" height=\"64\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/6e59408c5a9618721b20220c12633fca370bbc6a.png\"  width=\"64\" class=\"sc-9a01536c-0 libeSR\"\/><\/p>\n<p data-testid=\"article-datetime\" class=\"sc-5cbbddda-5 hxoHkT\">August 3, 2026 \u2014 8:58am<\/p>\n<p>Save<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-d1b14060-4 JmUoF\">You have reached your maximum number of saved items.<\/p>\n<p>Remove items from your <a href=\"https:\/\/www.smh.com.au\/goodfood\/saved\" class=\"sc-3f16ee48-12 sc-d1b14060-2 jyLmZI iQLtAb\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n<p>AAA<\/p>\n<p>Tolls will be cut on four motorways in Sydney including the M7 and M2 from as early as July next year while two-way tolling will be introduced on the Eastern Distributor as part of largest shake up of pricing in years.<\/p>\n<p>Less than eight months out from the state election, 10 per cent will be cut from tolls on the Lane Cove Tunnel, while the same reduction will apply to longer journeys on the M2 motorway from July 1 next year.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"The changes to toll prices follows two years of direct negotiations between the NSW government and Transurban.\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/5ed913fa34ec85a1845edad4d4ec7061bad209d6.jpeg\"  class=\"sc-d34e428-1 ldCIuB\"\/>The changes to toll prices follows two years of direct negotiations between the NSW government and Transurban.Janie Barrett<\/p>\n<p>The cap on distance-based trips on the M7 will be cut by 10 per cent from January 2028, subject to a widening of the two-lane sections of that motorway, and the M2 between Richmond Road and Windsor Road.<\/p>\n<p>Tolls on the Cross City Tunnel will be reduced by 20 per cent when the Western Harbour Tunnel opens in 2028.<\/p>\n<p>Charges for motorcyclists on all of Sydney\u2019s motorways will be progressively halved from July next year.<\/p>\n<p>As part of the changes, heavy vehicles will progressively pay 3.15 times the tolls for cars and other light vehicles across Sydney\u2019s motorway network, except on the Lane Cove Tunnel, from July next year. The government said the higher tolls for trucks would be used to support two new heavy vehicle toll relief schemes.<\/p>\n<p>The price discounts for Sydney\u2019s <a class=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.smh.com.au\/politics\/nsw\/the-blueprint-for-sydney-s-toll-shake-up-is-here-this-is-what-it-says-20240716-p5jtzu.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">patchwork of toll roads<\/a> follow two years of direct negotiations between the Minns government and toll road giant Transurban.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Two-way tolling will be introduced on the Eastern Distributor motorway.\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/96c14887a170aeaed362ec7baab6abfbdfba2fdd.jpeg\"  class=\"sc-d34e428-1 ldCIuB\"\/>Two-way tolling will be introduced on the Eastern Distributor motorway.Nick Moir<\/p>\n<p>Premier Chris Minns said the agreement with Transurban resulted in a \u201cmodest reduction\u201d in tolls for motorists while building on the permanent weekly toll cap.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFamilies are used to hearing about prices going up. Today we\u2019re announcing something that\u2019s going the other way,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>In addition to the direct deal, the government has reduced future toll increases for the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Sydney Harbour Tunnel to 3.25 per cent, lower than the 4 per cent previously planned from July next year.<\/p>\n<p>Related Article<a href=\"https:\/\/www.smh.com.au\/national\/nsw\/secret-plans-for-staged-shake-up-of-sydney-motorway-tolls-revealed-20260212-p5o1u9.html\" tabindex=\"-1\" class=\"sc-cba76dee-0 hdiTqm\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"An interchange for the M7 motorway and the new M12 is nearing completion.\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/dcb9810b8c04b6c4bc237ccb6ba97cb99a68d0d9.jpeg\"  class=\"sc-d34e428-1 ioInpc\"\/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The government has been negotiating with Transurban and other large investors about a shake-up of tolling contracts since July 2024.<\/p>\n<p>They have already reached a deal to scrap administration charges on toll notices, while the government confirmed late last year that motorists will be <a class=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.smh.com.au\/national\/nsw\/two-way-tolling-on-sydney-harbour-bridge-and-tunnel-set-to-start-in-2028-20251210-p5nmhk.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">charged two-way tolls<\/a> on the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Harbour Tunnel from as early as 2028 to help fund a weekly cap on motorway charges across the city.<\/p>\n<p>The government recently cut the toll cap to $50 a week from $60 for 12 months as part of cost-of-living measures in the budget.<\/p>\n<p>As part of the deal, Transurban and other large motorway investors will contribute $75 million over five years to the weekly toll cap.<\/p>\n<p>Transurban, which will release its full-year profits on August 13, will brief analysts on the shake up on Monday morning.<\/p>\n<p>A government-commissioned review led by former competition watchdog chairman Allan Fels recommended two-way tolling on the Eastern Distributor motorway. The Eastern Distributor and WestConnex account for about 40 per cent of toll revenue in Sydney.<\/p>\n<p>More to come<\/p>\n<p>Start the day with a summary of the day\u2019s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. <a class=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.smh.com.au\/link\/follow-20170101-p57ogt\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Save<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-d1b14060-4 JmUoF\">You have reached your maximum number of saved items.<\/p>\n<p>Remove items from your <a href=\"https:\/\/www.smh.com.au\/goodfood\/saved\" class=\"sc-3f16ee48-12 sc-d1b14060-2 jyLmZI iQLtAb\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Matt O'Sullivan\" data-testid=\"author-avatar-image\" height=\"40\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1785717435_926_6e59408c5a9618721b20220c12633fca370bbc6a.png\"  width=\"40\" class=\"sc-9a01536c-0 libeSR\"\/><a class=\"sc-cba76dee-0 hdiTqm sc-b5b9fd03-2 jcGta-D\" href=\"https:\/\/www.smh.com.au\/by\/matt-o-sullivan-hvehy\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Matt O&#8217;Sullivan<\/a> is transport and infrastructure editor at The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect via <a class=\"sc-cba76dee-0 hdiTqm sc-b5b9fd03-5 czsZcI\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/Mattonews?lang=en\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">X<\/a> or <a class=\"sc-cba76dee-0 hdiTqm sc-b5b9fd03-5 czsZcI\" href=\"https:\/\/www.smh.com.au\/national\/nsw\/mailto:mosullivan@smh.com.au\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">email<\/a>.From our partners<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"August 3, 2026 \u2014 8:58am Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":840823,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[64,63,99],"class_list":["post-840822","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-business","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-business"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/840822","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=840822"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/840822\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/840823"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=840822"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=840822"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=840822"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}