The new Silvertown tunnel is now open
Faster cross-river journeys
Silvertown Tunnel will help enable faster cross-river journeys at peak times (06:00-10:00 northbound and southbound 16:00-19:00, Monday to Friday), between north and south of the River Thames in east London, helping to reduce congestion in and around Blackwall Tunnel.
This is based on modelled data compared to a scenario without Silvertown Tunnel (see our User Charging Assessment Framework for more information).
Providing more public transport services for Londoners
In addition to existing Blackwall Tunnel services, zero-emission (at the tailpipe) bus services through Silvertown Tunnel offer new routes and better access to more destinations. Across both tunnels, there are 21 buses an hour during peak times 07:00 to 19:00 Monday to Friday. These are the new express bus route Superloop SL4 and extended route 129. Route 108 will continue through Blackwall Tunnel. A dedicated bus lane in both directions through Silvertown Tunnel now allows double-deck buses to cross the river east of Tower Bridge for the first time.
New free shuttle service through Silvertown Tunnel for cyclists
A new dedicated service lets cyclists take their bikes on a shuttle bus through Silvertown Tunnel, helping them cross safely, with clear directions to cycleways from the stops on both sides of the river.
Stops for this service are located at Seagull Lane (north stop) and Millennium Way (south stop). There are 5 buses per hour between 06:30 and 21:30, every day except Christmas Day. This service will be free to use for cyclists for at least 12 months. All buses are zero-emission at the tailpipe.
For the safety of both cyclists and drivers, cycling and walking through the Silvertown and Blackwall tunnels will not be permitted.
Find out more about the cycle shuttle.
Bus and DLR concessions to support local residents
There are concessions for local residents to take advantage of the new public transport connections. Local residents can benefit from free pay as you go bus fares on 3 routes which serve the boroughs of Greenwich, Newham and Tower Hamlets, for at least 12 months from 7 April 2025 when Silvertown Tunnel opened. These routes are the new express bus service Superloop SL4 and extended route 129 which goes through Silvertown Tunnel, and the existing route 108 through Blackwall Tunnel.
Pay as you go customers can start and end their journeys at any point along the bus routes, and customers must always touch in as they board the bus. To be able to travel on these bus routes, customers must use one of the following valid payment methods:
- Contactless card or device
- Valid concession photocard,
- Credit for pay as you go travel on an Oyster card
For both Oyster and contactless, the pay as you go fare will be £0, so no money will be taken from your chosen payment method (but you will need to ensure your payment method is valid and doesn't have a negative balance).
There are no changes to the Hopper fare or pay as you go fare caps.
There is no change for customers with valid 60+ London Oyster cards and Older Person's Freedom Passes. Customers will need to present their card/pass to a card reader when boarding as usual and can only use them during valid times. This means that 60+ London Oyster cards and Older Person's Freedom Passes are not valid on these 3 bus routes on weekdays between 04:30 - 08:59. During these times, contactless or a valid Oyster card can be used and free travel applies as above.
Other zip and concessions cards are valid at all times and can be used as normal.
DLR
For at least 12 months after Silvertown Tunnel opens, customers using pay as you go for journeys between the following station pairs will have their fares refunded:
- Greenwich/Cutty Sark - Island Gardens
- Woolwich Arsenal - King George V
Refund process
Contactless pay as you go fares
Customers must touch in and out at the station as usual, and the fare for the journey will be taken as normal. A refund will automatically be issued to customers' cards in at least 14 days of completing the journey - no further customer actions are needed.
If a customer doesn't touch in and out correctly for their journey, it will be classed as incomplete and will not be eligible for a refund.
Oyster card pay as you go fares
Customers must touch in and out at stations as usual and the fare for the journey will be taken. In at least 14 days of travel a refund for the journey will be processed. Once the refund has been processed, Oyster card customers will need to touch in on a yellow reader as part of a journey to ensure their refund is loaded onto their Oyster card. They will have up to 4 days to do this.
If a customer misses this 4-day window, they will need to contact customer services on 0343 222 1234 (call charges may apply) to request the refund.
If a customer doesn't touch in and out correctly for their journey, it will be classed as incomplete and will not be eligible for a refund.
Residents on certain low-income benefits
Residents living in 12 east London boroughs or the City of London, and on certain benefits, could be eligible for a 50% discount on the Blackwall and Silvertown tunnels charge. 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 and
- Housing Benefit
Residents must live in Barking & Dagenham, Bexley, Bromley, City of London, Greenwich, Hackney, Havering, Lewisham, Newham, Redbridge, Southwark, Tower Hamlets, or Waltham Forest.
This discount will be available for a period of at least 3 years from when Silvertown Tunnel opened, and will need to be renewed annually.
You need to register before using the tunnels and allow at least 10 days for your application to be processed.
Discount for small businesses and charities
Small businesses, sole traders and charities may be eligible for a £1 discount on the off-peak charge on a maximum of 3 vehicles, for at least 12 months from when Silvertown Tunnel opens. The off-peak charge is only available for vehicles registered with TfL on Auto Pay.
The business, sole trader or charity must be registered and operate from an address within one of the boroughs of: Greenwich, Newham or Tower Hamlets.
You need to register before using the tunnels and allow at least 10 days for your application to be processed.
Other driving discounts and exemptions
There is also a 100% discount for Blue Badge holders, vehicles with 9+ seats and recovery and breakdown vehicles registered with TfL.
Emergency service vehicles, NHS vehicles and disabled taxation class vehicles are also exempt from the tunnels charge.
Taxis licensed by TfL are exempt from charges. Zero-emission capable and wheelchair accessible private hire vehicles licensed by TfL will not be charged when carrying out a booking.
For a full list of exempt vehicles or to apply for a discount, see discounts and exemptions.
NHS Reimbursements
NHS staff and patients may be eligible to claim back certain charges through the NHS reimbursement scheme.
