Free-flow tolling in Australia

Tolling model

Australia’s toll roads are concentrated in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane and are mostly operated under concessions. Transurban, established in 1996, manages the largest networks in the three cities; its Linkt brand handles customer toll accounts and passes.

Technologies

Australian urban toll roads use multi-lane free-flow electronic tolling. On Melbourne’s CityLink, transponders are read by microwave DSRC at freeway speed, stereoscopic imaging detects and classifies vehicles, and cameras photograph licence plates for video tolling and enforcement.

Main operators

Transurban, with networks in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane, and other concession companies such as EastLink in Melbourne.

Suppliers present

• Kapsch TrafficCom: lists multi-lane free-flow systems in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane, including EastLink.
• Q-Free: has delivered tolling system upgrades in Australia.

Main projects

• CityLink (Melbourne): 22 km, one of the earliest large-scale free-flow electronic tolling systems, initially handling more than 600,000 transactions a day.
• West Gate Tunnel (Melbourne): opened by Transurban in December 2025.

Free-flow maturity

Very high: major Australian urban toll roads are built around free-flow electronic tolling.