About the Silvertown Tunnel

This new 1.4km road tunnel, with dedicated bus lanes, was first proposed in 2012 and plans were approved by the Secretary of State for Transport in 2018.

Our plans also include improvements for walking and cycling around the tunnel entrances - part of major regeneration on both sides of the river.

Why a new tunnel

The Victorian-era Blackwall Tunnel was never designed for the levels of traffic that now need to cross the river. Incidents with larger, unsuitable vehicles frequently cause delays and closures.

Idling traffic builds up, often leading to tailbacks of several miles in just a few minutes. This increases journey times, as drivers either queue in traffic or choose longer routes to avoid the tunnel. It also has a negative impact on air quality.

What benefits it will bring

The Silvertown Tunnel has been designed to have a direct positive impact on local residents and businesses.

When it opens, it will:

• Help reduce congestion, delays and queues making peak time journeys faster and more reliable, with journey savings expected to be up to 20 minutes. This is based on modelled data compared to a non-Silvertown scenario. Today, around one million hours are lost each year to queuing as a result of Blackwall Tunnel closures
• Offer more opportunities to cross the river by public transport with an initial network of 21 zero-emission (at the tailpipe) buses an hour in each direction at the busiest times (between 07:00 and 19:00 Monday to Friday) offering new routes and better access to more places, jobs and opportunities. The new network will operate from tunnel opening and, to boost use of these services and support local people on the three-cross-river bus routes, we're offering free pay as you go fares on buses for at least one year. Pay as you go fares on DLR journeys (between and including Greenwich/Cutty Sark - Island Gardens and Woolwich Arsenal - King George V) will be refunded
• Open up access to new markets on both sides of the river for businesses. This will help reach clients and jobs more quickly and within a reliable journey time. It will also help drive job growth in east London. Small businesses and charities within the boroughs of Newham, Greenwich and Tower Hamlets may be eligible for tunnel user charge discounts for at least one year. More information on how to apply is now available on our discounts and exemptions page
• Help manage the air quality impact of traffic congestion on some of London's most polluted roads (based on modelled data). We've been monitoring air quality for the past 3 years across 5 London boroughs. We'll continue to monitor for at least 3 years after the tunnel is open. This is to make sure the tunnel user charge levels are working and the project meets its objectives
• Improve the resilience of the road network by offering an alternative crossing when the Blackwall Tunnel is closed, which can be around 700 times a year
• Offer a new, cross-river cycle shuttle only for cyclists. This service will offer a safe and quick way for cyclists to cross the river using the Silvertown Tunnel. We will operate a high-frequency point-to-point service. We're committed to it for at least 3 years and the service will be free for at least one year

How we're doing it

Riverlinx consortium won the bid to design, build, finance and maintain the Silvertown Tunnel after a competitive procurement process. The vast majority of the funding to build the new crossing was raised by the consortium through private finance. Once open, TfL will then repay the costs through regular availability payments linked to operational performance.

The contract has been published as part of our commitment to transparency. See the Silvertown Tunnel project agreement.

Tunnel user charges

Consultation

The tunnel charges exist to help manage traffic levels across both tunnels, repay costs for building the new Silvertown Tunnel and its ongoing maintenance and operation.

To consider the views of the public closer to the tunnel opening, we held an eight-week consultation from 10 July to 3 September 2024, receiving over 5,300 responses.

Consultation responses were analysed and recommendations made to the TfL Board on the user charge levels, discounts and exemptions. On 4 December 2024, the TfL Board confirmed the initial opening charges that will apply from 7 April 2025.

For full details of the Silvertown and Blackwall Tunnel user charges consultation, visit our Have Your Say page. This includes our consultation report setting out our findings and our responses to the issues raised.

How the charges will work

Once the Silvertown Tunnel opens, charges will apply to both the Blackwall Tunnel and the new Silvertown Tunnel. If you drive through either tunnel, you will need to pay each time you cross, unless you or your vehicle are exempt from paying the charge.

Charges will apply from 06.00-22.00, 7 days a week in both directions. The tunnel will be open 24 hours a day every day of the week.

Find out all about what and how to pay the Blackwall and Silvertown tunnels charge.

Concessions, discounts and exemptions

To support residents and businesses and encourage people to use the new public transport connections, there are concessions, discounts and exemptions available when the Silvertown tunnel opens. These include:

• Bus concessions for local residents on the new Superloop SL4, the extended route 129 and route 108
• DLR concessions for local residents between Greenwich/Cutty Sark - Island Gardens and Woolwich Arsenal - King George V
• 50% discount on tunnel charges  for residents on certain low-income benefits
• £1 discount on the off-peak charge for eligible small businesses, charities and sole traders

For more information on Bus and DLR concessions including the refund process, visit our new Silvertown Tunnel page.

To register for the tunnel's discounts, visit our discounts and exemptions page.

Zero-emission bus routes 108, 129 and Superloop SL4

The Silvertown Tunnel will transform how residents in east and southeast London will be able to cross the river by bus for work, education and leisure. Today, only the 108 bus crosses the river from North Greenwich via the Blackwall Tunnel, and no double-deck buses cross the river between Tower Bridge and the Dartford Crossing.

Once the Silvertown Tunnel opens, in addition to route 108 (via the Blackwall Tunnel), a new route (Superloop SL4) will run through the new tunnel from Grove Park to Canary Wharf. Also, a route extension (route 129) will run from Lewisham to Great Eastern Quay via City Airport.

In total, the 3 routes will offer a new east London cross-river network of 21 zero-emission (at the tailpipe) in each direction in the busiest times between 07:00 to 19:00 Monday to Friday.

Silvertown Tunnel cycle shuttle

A new cycle shuttle service will offer a safe and quick way for cyclists to cross the river using the Silvertown Tunnel.

Cycling is not allowed in the Silvertown Tunnel for safety reasons. Instead, we'll provide a high-frequency shuttle service with a bus every 12 minutes (5 buses per hour). Cyclists will be able to turn up and go without checking a timetable first.

Cyclists will board the bus with their cycles at stops on either side of the river to be taken through the Silvertown Tunnel. In Newham, the 'north' stop location will be located on Seagull Lane close to Royal Victoria DLR station. In Greenwich, the 'south' stop will be located on Millennium Way near the junction with Old School Close.

The service will have a unique look to distinguish it from the regular bus network (see image below). For detailed guidance on how and when customers can use the service, visit our Silvertown Tunnel cycle shuttle page.

Looking ahead to tunnel opening

The Silvertown Tunnel is on track for its planned opening on 7 April 2025.

Our focus will be on completing operational testing, bus driver familiarisation and final safety checks. We'll also ensure all our bus and Silvertown Cycle Shuttle service infrastructure is ready for the new services which will commence from tunnel opening.

We'll continue to monitor and report on traffic, air quality, and the scheme's impact on residents and businesses. Our most recent Air Quality Baseline report 2023 has now been published.

Highways

A review and update to our traffic modelling work found 14 locations needing mitigations before the Silvertown Tunnel opens. This reflects any changes since the DCO was granted.

These mitigations were discussed and agreed with Silvertown Tunnel Implementation Group members, and then reviewed and approved by the Secretary of State for Transport. The works are to prepare local roads for the tunnel opening.

The traffic mitigation map shows the locations of the 14 locations that need mitigation measures. The necessary mitigations at 11 of these sites consist of signal timing revisions.

Physical mitigation works are ongoing at 2 locations:

• Bow roundabout - works are ongoing and will be completed by March 2025
• Preston's Road roundabout - works are ongoing and will be completed by March 2025

Signal timing changes have been scheduled and will be made in real time when the tunnel opens.

These mitigations aim to prevent adverse impacts on local communities when the tunnel opens. After the tunnel opens, we'll continue to monitor the impacts on highways and air quality for at least 3 years and will do more mitigation work if needed. Read about our monitoring work on the Understanding the impacts of Silvertown Tunnel page.

Related content

• Learn the impacts of Silvertown Tunnel on local communities both before and after the tunnel opens
• Read about the Silvertown Tunnel Implementation Group (STIG) that includes representatives from 12 London boroughs, the GLA and National Highways
• Check our large archive of the Silvertown Tunnel documents related to previous consultations, planning conditions, general vesting declarations and our Development Consent Order