WIREDGOV

Construction works and rigorous testing of new modern tunnel linking Silvertown in east London to the Greenwich Peninsula now sufficiently complete to set out planned opening date.

• East Londoners will benefit from faster and more reliable journeys and enhanced public transport links, with journey time savings expected to be up to 20 minutes at peak times
• Once the tunnel is open, the number of buses able to cross the river in the area will increase from six to 21 buses an hour - all will be zero emission at the tailpipe and free to use for the first year
• Final route and stopping locations for the cycle-shuttle service published by TfL

Transport for London (TfL) and Riverlinx Limited, the consortium designing, building, operating and maintaining the new tunnel, yesterday (6 January 2025) confirmed that the Silvertown Tunnel is planned to open on 7 April 2025. New bus routes serving the tunnel, which will be free for at least the first year, will also launch the same day. The introduction of these new buses, including the Superloop 4 (SL4) between Canary Wharf and Grove Park, will increase the hourly number of buses able to cross the river in the area from six to 21, meaning more Londoners will benefit from using the tunnel.

With construction work on the Silvertown project now coming towards a close, and operational readiness testing underway ahead of the tunnel opening, work is moving to installing the infrastructure which will support the new zero-emission bus routes that will serve the Silvertown Tunnel - including the new cycle-shuttle service under the Thames. For at least 12 months from 7 April 2025, 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.

TfL will also shortly begin to install the new shelters and cycle racks for the zero-emission cycle-shuttle service, which will have a bespoke design to support cyclists and distinguish them from the regular bus network. The service will operate every 12 minutes, seven days a week from 06:30 to 21:30. It will have two stops, one on each side of the river, with the 'north' stop located on Seagull Lane close to Royal Victoria DLR station, and the 'south' stop located on Millennium Way near the junction with Old School Close.

The service will also have a unique look and feel to help distinguish it from the regular bus network. This branding will be used on the buses, the stops and shelters, and on the wayfinding signs to raise awareness of the new service. Maps showing local cycle routes will also be on display at shelters to help with journey planning and encourage further journeys by cycle. Further details of the branding will be revealed in the new year.

Work on Tidal Basin Roundabout, together with new walking and cycling routes around the roundabout and along Dock Road has also recently been completed, with work on improving Lower Lea Crossing for all road users currently underway and due to be complete by the end of spring 2025.

First announced in 2012, the 1.4km Silvertown Tunnel will link Newham to the Greenwich Peninsula and, supported by the new user charges, will make journeys faster and more reliable, with average journey time savings expected to be up to 20 minutes at peak times. The tunnel is also located in the Ultra Low Emission Zone and will also support economic growth and allow TfL to increase the number of buses able to cross the river in this area from six to 21 buses an hour in each direction during the busiest times - all of which will be zero emission at the tailpipe.

To help manage traffic levels across the Silvertown and Blackwall tunnels, repay costs for building the new Silvertown Tunnel, and cover ongoing maintenance and operation costs at both tunnels, a user charge will be introduced on 7 April 2025. Without introducing this user charge at both tunnels, there would likely be high levels of traffic and congestion in the area, which would lead to detrimental air quality impacts, as well as longer journey times. 

Stuart Harvey, Chief Capital Officer at Transport for London yesterday 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. These measures will also help manage traffic demand as well as the environmental impacts, and ensure the new tunnel delivers on its objectives of reducing traffic congestion and providing resilience at the Blackwall Tunnel, while ensuring we support local residents on low income, small businesses, sole traders and local charities."

John Hagan, CEO, Riverlinx, yesterday said:

"We are pleased to announce the opening date for the project. This represents the culmination of effort for the thousands of people that have worked on the project over the past five years. I would especially like to recognise our CJV partners BAM, Ferrovial, and SK ecoplant. We at Riverlinx look forward to beginning the operations and maintenance phase and our continued partnership with TfL."

Borja Trashorras, Project Director, Riverlinx CJV yesterday said:

"Following over five years of careful planning, design and construction, it is truly rewarding to see the opening of the Silvertown Tunnel. With its determination and passion, the Construction Joint Venture (CJV) team of BAM, Ferrovial & SK ecoplant has consistently outperformed throughout the design and construction phase. The team has delivered solutions to overcome significant engineering challenges and complex working environments and the project will open on time and with the highest quality and safety standards. Through outstanding collaboration and integrated teamwork between TfL, Riverlinx and the CJV, we are delivering an infrastructure asset that will serve London for generations."

Stagecoach London Managing Director Paul Lynch yesterday said:

"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."

East London residents and businesses currently face chronic traffic congestion in the area around the Blackwall Tunnel. The Victorian-era tunnel suffers from frequent closures - more than 700 times a year - which result in large tailbacks, poor air quality and millions of hours lost due to drivers being trapped in traffic congestion.

Throughout the construction of the new tunnel, which began in 2021, more than 1,860,000 tonnes of material have been transported to and from the site via river rather than using roads - helping to remove around 110,000 lorry trips from local roads around the construction site. The tunnel boring machine, Jill (named after Jill Viner – London's first female bus driver), was also innovatively turned around within the rotation chamber in Greenwich to then bore the second tunnel back towards Newham - a UK engineering first. As a project, the Silvertown Tunnel has also enabled more than 120 apprenticeships across the supply chain, as well as supported the hiring of more than 90 people who were previously unemployed and offered more than 1,500 days in placements for the next generation of engineers.

For more information, please visit www.tfl.gov.uk/silvertown-tunnely

Notes to Editors

• The Silvertown Tunnel project has been delivered by the Riverlinx consortium, which is made up of abrdn, Invesis, Cintra, and SK ecoplant, through a design, build, finance, operate and maintain contract. The vast majority of the funding is coming from private finance which has been specifically raised for this scheme
• The Riverlinx CJV (Construction Joint Venture) is contracted by TfL and Riverlinx SPV to complete the design and construction works. Riverlinx CJV is a joint venture, a partnership bringing together international, market leading expertise from three civil engineering and construction companies: BAM, Ferrovial Construction and SK ecoplant. 
• TfL has launched a major marketing campaign about the Silvertown Tunnel. This multi-channel campaign will inform customers about the benefits of the tunnel, encourage uptake of the free cross-river bus and DLR journeys available, and will look to encourage customers to sign up to TfL Auto Pay to ensure they always pay the lowest possible charge, as well as highlight and encourage signups for the range of discounts and exemptions which will be available to local residents, businesses and charities. The campaign will include video on demand, online video, posters, press, radio, local leaflet drops, social media, digital advertising and emails.
• From 7 April 2025, a user charge will be introduced for those using the Silvertown and Blackwall tunnels between 06:00 and 22:00, seven days a week. The proximity of the two tunnels has meant that, ever since the plans were first conceived, both need to be charged to ensure that traffic levels do not increase as a result of drivers seeking to use the uncharged crossing.
• An off-peak rate of £1.50 will apply the majority of the time, for vehicles registered for TfL Auto Pay. To manage traffic during the busiest times, peak charges would apply, set at £1 more than standard off-peak charges for motorcycles and an extra £2.50 for cars and small vans. Large vans will pay an extra £4 and HGVs will pay an extra £5 during peak hours. These would apply for four hours northbound in the morning (from 06:00 to 10:00) and three hours southbound in the evening (from 16:00 to 19:00), Monday to Friday, or for anyone not using TfL Auto Pay.
• To help residents and businesses, and to support people to use new public transport connections, a wide range of concessions and discounts will be available, including a 50 per cent discount, which will be available for low-income residents in 12 east and southeast London boroughs and the City of London:
  • A 50 per cent discount available for low-income drivers in 12 east and south-east London boroughs (Barking & Dagenham, Bexley, Bromley, Greenwich, Hackney, Havering, Lewisham, Newham, Redbridge, Southwark, Tower Hamlets and Waltham Forest) and the City of London, as well as a £1 discount on the standard off-peak charge for at least one year for small businesses, sole traders and charities registered in Tower Hamlets, Newham and Greenwich;
  • All buses, coaches and vehicles with nine seats or more registered with the DVLA will automatically be exempt from Silvertown and Blackwall Tunnel charges;
  • All taxis, blue badge holders, and wheelchair-accessible private hire vehicles registered with TfL will not be chargable. 'Zero-Emission Capable' Private Hire Vehicles licensed by TfL - which currently make up at least 40 per cent of the 93,000 fleet – would also be exempt. Vehicles registered under the Accredited Breakdown / Recovery vehicle discount will also not have to pay a charge;
  • Tunnel charges will also be reimbursed to NHS staff and patients eligible through the NHS reimbursement scheme
  • Bus journeys made on three cross-river routes which serve Newham, Tower Hamlets and Greenwich, as well as cross-river journeys on the DLR from Cutty Sark to Island Gardens, and from Woolwich Arsenal to King George V will also be free for at least one year. This will support local residents and help encourage people to cross the Thames by public transport;
  • The 'cycle-shuttle' service, which TfL consulted on in summer 2023, will allow people with cycles to safely cross the river via a high frequency bus service for cyclists around Silvertown and North Greenwich. This zero-emission service will operate between 0630 and 2130 seven days a week and be free to use for at least the first year. 
• Low-income Londoners in the relevant Boroughs and City of London who are eligible for the 50 per cent discount are people in receipt of: Income Support, Income-related Employment & Support Allowance, Income-based Jobseekers Allowance, Universal Credit, Pension Credit, Child Tax Credit, Working Tax Credit, Carer's Allowance or Housing Benefit. 
• Only one Penalty Charge Notice for non-payment of user charges, set at £180 (but reduced to £90 if paid within 14 days) would be issued per day irrespective of the number of unpaid trips made in the vehicle on that day.
• TfL's extensive development work has shown the new crossing, user charge and cross-river bus network will help cut congestion, support sustainable growth of new homes and jobs, and deliver an overall improvement in air quality. As part of making sure this happens, it began a comprehensive programme of monitoring in 2020 and has regularly published reports and monitoring data, which helps its understanding of local air quality. 
• The tunnel user charges have been designed specifically to effectively manage traffic using the river crossings and help ensure that the economic benefits of the tunnel are delivered in a fair and sustainable way, as well as mitigating the environmental impacts. It will also help cover the construction costs of the Silvertown Tunnel as well as maintenance and operation costs for both the Silvertown and Blackwall Tunnels. The implementation of a user charge is a requirement of the Development Consent Order for the Silvertown Tunnel, made by the Secretary of State for Transport in 2018.
• There have been regular meetings with the Silvertown Tunnel Implementation Group throughout the construction of the Silvertown Tunnel, with papers and meeting minutes available at  https://tfl.gov.uk/travel-information/improvements-and-projects/silvertown-tunnel-implementation-group