Buses takes priority at east London’s soon to open Silvertown Tunnel

Transport for London (TfL) and Riverlinx, the consortium designing, building, operating and maintaining the Silvertown Tunnel in east London, have confirmed the new tunnel will open on 7 April.

New bus routes using the 1.4km tunnel linking Newham to the Greenwich Peninsula tunnel, will be free for at least the first year. Once open the hourly number of buses able to cross the river in the area will increase from six to 21.

With construction work coming towards a close and operational readiness testing underway, work is shifting to installing the infrastructure to support the new zero-emission bus routes including a new cycle-shuttle service under the Thames.

The cycle-shuttle service will operate every 12 minutes, seven days a week from 06:30 to 21:30. It will 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.

A user charge at both the new tunnel and the currently free Blackwall Tunnel will help manage traffic levels, repay costs for building the new Silvertown Tunnel, and cover ongoing maintenance and operation costs at both tunnels.

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, following years of hard work and close collaboration between ourselves and Riverlinx. The tunnel 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, said, "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 construction joint venture (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 said, "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 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."

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.

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.