Toll rate indexation on the A2 motorway in the section Nowy Tomyśl – Konin

As of 11 September 2024, toll rates will change in the toll sections of the Autostrada Wielkopolska concession motorway Nowy Tomyśl – Konin. The change is driven primarily by the significant scale of investment and rehabilitation work performed by the Company not only this year, but also required to be performed in future years, in addition to the high cost of debt service, as well as the ever-increasing motorway maintenance costs. The dynamically increasing scale of expenditures is due to, without limitation, the investment and renewal obligations imposed upon the Company by the provisions of the concession agreement, the continuing rise in inflation, especially in the construction and assembly services sector, and invariably high interest rates.

The change in toll rates for the 150-kilometer concession section of the A2 motorway between Nowy Tomyśl and Konin will take place on 11 September 2024. Commencing 6:00 a.m. that day, the toll rates for driving each of the three 50 km long sections between Nowy Tomyśl and Konin will be as follows:

• PLN 17- Category 6 (motorcycles)
• PLN 34 – Category 1 (two-axle motor vehicles)
• PLN 55 – Category 2 (two-axle vehicles in which at least one axle is equipped with twin wheels, and two-axle motorcycles and vehicles with trailers),
• PLN 84 – Category 3 (three-axle vehicles and two-axle vehicles in which at least one axle is equipped with twin wheels with trailers)
• PLN 127 – Category 4 (vehicles with more than three axles and vehicles with three axles with trailers),
• PLN 340 – Category 5 (oversize vehicles)

The Company has kept a 50% discount for category 6 (motorcycles) on the A2 Motorway section between Nowy Tomyśl and Konin.

Since tolls on the Polish concession motorways are subject to the basic rate of value added tax, the abovementioned rates include 23% VAT, which the Company pays to the State Treasury.

The cost of using the Autostrada Wielkopolska concession section Świecko – Nowy Tomyśl remains unaltered. Drivers of Category 1 vehicles pay PLN 18 for 106 km of that section. In the section Świecko – Nowy Tomyśl where the toll rates are established by the Ministry of Infrastructure the rate for motorcycles is the same as for cars.

The concession section of the A2 motorway between Nowy Tomyśl and Konin was built and has still been expanded entirely with investors’ funds and bank loans. The entire section is maintained solely by Autostrada Wielkopolska S.A. This means that except for the drivers actually using the road service, no other entities bear any cost of maintaining this section of A2. According to the data of the Central Statistical Office, consumer prices rose by 4.3% in August 2024 compared to the corresponding month of the preceding year, with National Bank of Poland’s economists forecasting a further increase in inflation, even in excess of 5,2% in the 2025. In July 2024, services became more expensive by 6.2% year-on-year, the price of electricity increased by 18.5% YOY and energy carriers by 10.1% YOY in the period under review. In August 2024 energy carriers become more expensive by 10,3% YOY. It is crucial from the Company’s perspective that the latest available civil engineering construction price index in June recorded a 6.5% year-on-year increase.

Despite the significant increase in investment and rehabilitation expenditures and the huge scale of debt service, the Company has been timely meeting its obligations under concession and following the adopted work program.

Autostrada Wielkopolska S.A. is currently building an extension of another section of the Poznań Bypass, adding a third lane in a 10-km stretch between the Poznań Krzesiny and Poznań Wschód interchanges. This project involves the construction of the third lane in both directions, together with the associated infrastructure, rehabilitation of two interchanges, upgrade and widening of two mainline bridges. The construction of the third lane in each direction between the Poznań Krzesiny and Poznań Wschód interchanges also includes the pavement replacement on the existing lanes. This means that a new high-quality pavement with a total surface area of 280,000 square meters will be built using HIMA highly modified asphalt, which provides the required useful life of the road under heavy traffic loads. Completion of the project and opening to traffic has been scheduled for late 2025.

It is noteworthy that ca. three quarters of the constantly growing traffic in the section including the Poznań Bypass, i.e. between the Poznań Zachód and Poznań Wschód interchanges, is generated by vehicles entering the A2 concession section from the S11, S5 and urban arteries, and using the bypass free of charge. Those rapidly growing traffic flows directly contribute to the requirement for the Company to upgrade the motorway section in question as soon as practicable.

This year, Autostrada Wielkopolska S.A. also began construction of an electronic tolling system using license plate recognition technology – videotolling, east of Poznań. This technology guarantees users high quality and reliable service, while maintaining comfort, safety and smooth passage through toll plazas. The solution being implemented in the A2 concession section is fully compatible with the European standard, non-intrusive and interoperable with solutions used by other concessionaires and the public party, including the e-toll system. The works are scheduled to be completed in December 2024, while the service is scheduled to be launched in the first quarter of 2025. If the Minister of Infrastructure agrees to launch the same solution also in the section between Świecko and Nowy Tomyśl managed by Autostrada Wielkopolska II S.A., the videotolling service will be available to users in the entire A2 motorway stretch from Świecko to Konin.

In addition, in order to improve traffic safety, the Company has been successively upgrading the pavement and canopies at the Toll Plazas as well as replacing the motorway fence. In addition, the Company has been performing ongoing rehabilitation of engineering structures (bridges and overbridges) and investing in environmentally friendly solutions, such as, without limitation, the development of a network of EV chargers.

All projects developed by Autostrada Wielkopolska S.A. are aimed at providing quality road infrastructure, drivers’ safety and traveling comfort. Since the very beginning, the Company has been providing travelers with safe trip conditions and highest standard service. This means, in particular:

• Very good maintenance of the pavement,
• High quality winter maintenance,
• Round-the-clock, continuous assistance of the motorway services in the event of a breakdown or incident,
• Hotline and other communication channels for drivers,
• Clean and safe Rest and Service Areas,
• Availability of gas stations, including restaurants,
• High standards of environmental protection and maintenance of the infrastructure enabling free game migration.

Autostrada Wielkopolska S.A. and Autostrada Wielkopolska II S.A. are concession companies responsible for the construction and operation of a 255 km stretch of the A2 motorway from Świecko to Konin which is the biggest Public Private Partnership project in this part of Europe. Projects pursued by both concession companies have been timely completed within the initial budgets agreed with the public party and lenders, with no EU subsidies involved nor any financing from the Polish State Treasury.