Transport for London has finally announced the opening date of the Silvertown Tunnel, which could see drivers charged daily to use the new roads.
The Silvertown Tunnel is scheduled to open on April 7, 2025, as construction work comes to an end, with operational readiness testing already underway ahead of the launch.
The tunnel, which is 1.4 kilometres long, will link Newham to the Greenwich Peninsula, with the aim of making the average journey time shorter by up to 20 minutes at peak times.
A user charge will also be introduced on April 7 to help reduce the levels of traffic and congestion, as well as improve air quality and journey times.
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The Silvertown Tunnel will open on April 7, 2025, when user charges will also begin
TFL
An off-peak rate of £1.50 will apply for the vehicles registered with TfL Auto Pay during the majority of operational hours. Peak charges will cost £1 more for motorcycles and £2.50 extra for cars and vans.
During these peak hours, large vans will pay an extra £4 to cross the tunnel, while HGVs will pay an extra £5 during peak hours.
These would apply for four hours northbound in the morning (from 6am to 10am) and three hours southbound in the evening (from 4pm to 7pm), Monday to Friday, or for anyone not using TfL Auto Pay.
The user charge will be introduced for both Silvertown and Blackwall tunnels between 6am and 10pm, seven days a week.
The Silvertown Tunnel Newham Portal entrance
TFL
There is a 50 per cent discount available for low-income drivers living in 12 east and south-east boroughs including Barking and Dagenham, Bexley, Bromley, Greenwich, Hackney, Havering, Lewisham, Newham, Redbridge, Southwark, Tower Hamlets and Waltham Forest, as well as the City of London.
All buses, coaches and vehicles with nine seats or more will be exempt, in addition to taxis, Blue Badge holders and wheelchair-accessible private hire vehicles registered with TfL.
Stuart Harvey, Chief Capital Officer at Transport for London said: “I’m pleased that we can now confirm that the Silvertown Tunnel will open on 7 April 2025, following years of hard work and close collaboration between ourselves and Riverlinx Limited.
“The Tunnel is on track to open in the coming months and is a testament to brilliant and ground-breaking engineering.
“The new Tunnel, along with the initial user charges, discounts and exemptions, will support growth in the local area and provide new public transport connections across the river.”
For at least 12 months from April 7, the new cross-river bus routes serving Greenwich, Newham, and Tower Hamlets – including the new Superloop SL4 which runs from Grove Park to Canary Wharf, will be free.
These buses will also benefit from a “unique look and feel to help distinguish it from the regular bus network”, which will be announced in the coming months.
Transport for London will be able to increase the number of buses crossing the river in this area from six to 21 buses an hour during the busiest times. All of these will also be zero emission.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
The Silvertown Tunnel Cycle Shuttle Service
TFL
Paul Lynch, managing director of Stagecoach London, added: “We’re excited to be asked to operate the innovative and important Silvertown Tunnel cycle-shuttle service as part of the enhanced cross-river public transport offering, and we’re busy making sure our specially converted zero emission buses will be ready in time.
“We also hope to see the new tunnel ease traffic conditions for our other bus services in the area.”
