Silvertown Tunnel easing congestion, TfL says

The Silvertown Tunnel is the first new road crossing of the Thames east of Tower Bridge in more than three decades

Transport for London (TfL) has shared the first insights about the impact on traffic of the new Silvertown Tunnel, as part of commissioner Andy Lord's latest report to the TfL Board.

Analysis of data between 21 April and 11 May shows the Silvertown and Blackwall tunnels are being used by an average of about 88,000 vehicles on a typical weekday. Of these, about 20,000 are using the Silvertown Tunnel.

Before the tunnel opened on 7 April, about 100,000 vehicles used the Blackwall Tunnel on weekdays. TfL said this fall in traffic had helped to ease congestion.

However, it said it was aware of some increased traffic volumes at other river crossings, including the Woolwich Ferry.

The £2.2bn Silvertown Tunnel stretches almost a mile (1.4km) under the River Thames from Greenwich to Newham.

Motorists using the tunnel - the first new road crossing of the Thames east of Tower Bridge in more than three decades - must pay a toll to use it, as is also now the case for those using the nearby Blackwall Tunnel.

Mr Lord's report also provided ridership data about the three bus services that operate through both tunnels: the new Superloop SL4, the extended route 129 and the 108, which already ran through the Blackwall Tunnel before 7 April.

Across the routes there is a daily average of more than 20,000 passengers making use of these services, of which typically about 7,000 are crossing the river using one of the two tunnels. In March 2025, there were about 2,700 crossings a day made using route 108.

Across the wider road network, the report said initial analysis showed stability in overall traffic volumes, including on the A2, A12 and A13.

'Encouraging'

There is also a cycle shuttle service, enabling cyclists to take their bikes free of charge on a bus through the Silvertown Tunnel. TfL said some 100-150 people were using it on a typical day.

While this is below its capacity, TfL believes usage will grow as cyclists adapt their routes to benefit from this safer crossing option.

TfL said it intended to publish quarterly factsheets on the operational performance of the tunnels' toll scheme.

This will include information about how many people pay the charge, the compliance rates for vehicles using the tunnels and the number of Penalty Charge Notices that are issued.

The first of these factsheets will be published later this year, but initial data shows that compliance has steadily increased, with about 90% of motorists either paying a charge or benefiting from an exemption.

Residents living in 12 east London boroughs and the City of London, and on certain benefits, could be eligible for a 50% discount. TfL said about 3,500 residents had registered for it so far.

Seb Dance, deputy mayor for transport, said: "It's encouraging that initial data from TfL shows that the new Silvertown Tunnel is helping to reduce the build-up of traffic around the Blackwall Tunnel.

"This means more reliable and faster journey times for thousands of Londoners during peak hours."