Silvertown Tunnel

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 in spring 2025, 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. To boost use of these services and support local people on the 3 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 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 allow them to 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
• 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-bus only for cyclists. This service will offer a safe and quick way for cyclists to cross the river using the Silvertown Tunnel. The cycle shuttle-bus will carry a range of cycle types. We plan to 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.

Construction of the scheme has followed the Silvertown Tunnel Code of Construction Practice (CoCP), and Riverlinx are also Considerate Construction Scheme (CCS) accredited.

Tunnel user charges consultation

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 spring 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.

If you'd like to apply for any of the concessions and discounts once pre-registration is open, sign up and we'll email you closer to the time.

Tunnel user charges

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.

Once the Silvertown Tunnel opens, charges will apply to both the Blackwall Tunnel and the new Silvertown Tunnel. From spring 2025, 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.

For customers registered for Auto Pay, off-peak rates will apply most of the time, including weekends. A peak charge will apply during the busiest times (06:00-10:00 northbound and 16:00-19:00 southbound) on weekdays only.

When to pay

Charges will not apply until the Silvertown Tunnel opens in spring 2025. After that, if you drive through either tunnel during charging times, you will have until midnight on the third day after your journey to pay.

If you don't pay on time, you will risk getting a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN). PCN for non-payment is £180 (reduced to £90 if paid within 2 weeks). The easiest way to pay will be through Auto Pay.

Concessions, discounts and exemptions

To support residents and businesses and encourage people to use the new public transport connections, there will be a package of concessions, discounts and exemptions once the Silvertown tunnel opens. These include:

Bus concessions for local residents

For at least 12 months from spring 2025, local residents will benefit from free pay as you go fares on the new cross-river bus routes serving Greenwich, Newham, and Tower Hamlets.

These routes include the new Superloop SL4 and route 129, which will go through the Silvertown Tunnel, and route 108 through the Blackwall Tunnel.

Pay as you go customers can start and end their journeys at any point along the bus routes, and all customers must continue to touch in as they board the bus.

DLR concessions for local residents

For at least 12 months from spring 2025, customers using pay as you go for journeys between and including the following station pairs will have their fares refunded:

• Cutty Sark - Island Gardens
• Woolwich Arsenal - King George V

We'll update this page with more information around the refund process soon.

Residents on certain low-income benefits

A 50% discount on tunnel charges will be available to drivers on certain benefits living in Barking & Dagenham, Bexley, Bromley, City of London, Greenwich, Hackney, Havering, Lewisham, Newham, Redbridge, Southwark, Tower Hamlets and Waltham Forest.

The eligible benefits are:

• Income Support
• Income-related Employment & Support Allowance
• Income-based Jobseekers Allowance
• Universal Credit
• Pension Credit
• Child Tax Credit
• Working Tax Credit
• Carer's Allowance
• Housing Benefit

This discount would be for a period of at least 3 years from spring 2025. You can register for this discount from January 2025.

Discount for small businesses and charities

Small businesses, sole traders and charities will be eligible for a £1 discount on the off-peak charge on a maximum of 3 vehicles, for at least 12 months from spring 2025. The off-peak charge is only accessible for vehicles registered with TfL on Auto Pay.

The business, charity or sole trader must be registered and operate from an address within one of the boroughs of Greenwich, Newham, or Tower Hamlets.

Exemptions and other discounts

There will be no charge at any time for vehicles:

• With a disabled tax class
• Taxis licensed by TfL
• Zero-emission capable and wheelchair-accessible private hire vehicles licensed by TfL when carrying out a booking
• DVLA-registered minibuses, buses and coaches

A 100% discount on tunnel charges will also apply to vehicles registered for our existing Congestion Charge discounts for:

• Blue Badge holders
• Roadside recovery vehicles
• Accredited breakdown

Looking ahead to tunnel opening

The Silvertown Tunnel is on track to open in spring 2025.

Our focus until then will be on completing the internal works on the portal buildings, testing and commissioning tunnel systems, installing lighting and handing over land we've been using temporarily for construction.

To support the tunnel opening, we're also preparing the roads, vehicles and infrastructure for the new cross-river bus network and cycle shuttle-bus, as well as implementing the highway changes needed before the tunnel opens.

We'll continue to monitor and report on traffic, air quality, and the scheme's impact on residents and businesses.

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 tunnel opening in spring 2025.

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 planned at 3 locations:

• Bow roundabout - works are ongoing and will be completed by February 2025
• Preston's Road roundabout - works started in autumn 2024 will be complete by January 2025
• A13/A102 northbound junction (near Cotton St) - works are complete

All physical mitigation works will be completed before the tunnel opens in spring 2025, and signal timing changes will be made in real time when the tunnel opens.

These mitigations aim to prevent adverse impacts on local communities when the tunnel opens. Once that happens, 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.

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 City Airport and Great Eastern Quay.

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. This extended network (up from 6 buses per hour) will offer better access to town centres, jobs and education.

We'll track demand for bus services once the Silvertown Tunnel is open. Unlike other types of public transport, the bus network is highly flexible and if demand for services increases, we can respond quickly.

See our map of bus routes below or visit our Improving buses page to learn more about our cleaner, greener buses.

Cross-river cycling

A new cycle shuttle-bus 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 plan to offer a high-frequency shuttle-bus service. Cyclists will be able to turn up and go without checking a timetable first.

They'll board the bus with their cycle and will be taken through the tunnel. The service is committed to for at least 3 years and to encourage use, it will be free for at least one year. Our plans have been developed using feedback from the Silvertown Tunnel cycling consultation. Read the final cross-river cycling consultation report for more information.

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