Latest news with #SilvertownTunnel
The Sun
4 days ago
- Automotive
- The Sun
Major tunnel used by 25,000 vehicles a day to close for 17 nights throughout June – just two months after grand opening
A MAJOR tunnel used by some 25,000 vehicles each day is closing for 17 nights throughout June - just months after opening. Silvertown Tunnel, which links Silvertown in east London to the Greenwich Peninsula, opened on April 7 this year after taking just under 5 years to be completed. 2 2 But now, some two months later, the tunnel has been scheduled to close for 17 overnight dates for general maintenance and "snagging works", according to Transport for London. Indeed, the overnight closures are in their early stages, with the southbound direction closed each day - from 10pm until the early morning - since Friday, May 30. Planned overnight closures of the Silvertown Tunnel Friday, May 30 - 10pm-6am (Southbound only) Saturday, May 31 - 10pm-6am (Southbound only) Sunday, June 1 - 10pm-5am (Southbound only) Monday, June 2 - 10pm-5am (Southbound only) Tuesday, June 3 - 10pm-5am (Southbound only) Wednesday, June 4 - 10pm-5am (Both directions closed) Thursday, June 5 - 10pm-5am (Northbound only) Friday, June 6 - 10pm-6am (Both directions closed) Saturday, June 7 - 10pm-6am (Both directions closed) Sunday, June 8 - 10pm-5am (Both directions closed) Friday, June 13 - 10pm-6am (Both directions closed) Saturday, June 14 - 10pm-6am (Both directions closed) Sunday, June 15 - 10pm-5am (Both directions closed) Wednesday, June 18 - 10pm-5am (Southbound only) Friday, June 20 - 10pm-6am (Both directions closed) Saturday, June 21 - 10pm-6am (Both bores closed) Sunday, June 22 - 10pm-5am (Both directions closed) Since its grand opening, thousands of drivers have been forced to fork out up to £20 a day to use the tunnel - which applies for both the Silvertown and Blackwall Tunnels between 6am and 10pm. Car drivers are charged up to £4 per journey with discounts for automatic payments and travelling at off-peak times. Most drivers will pay a minimum of £1.50 to use each tunnel - although some may qualify for a discount or exemption, The payment rises and falls depending on the weight of your vehicle, with motorbikes, for example, paying £2.50 at peak times, while HGVs are charged £10 at peak times. Drivers pay up each time they use the tunnel, which means they could be charged several times a day. The idea behind the Silvertown Tunnel is to cut journey times by up to 20 minutes at peak times, as well as boosting zero emission transport options. TfL say that, on dates when the southbound section is closed, buses will be diverted via the Blackwall Tunnel, while at times when both directions are closed, buses will operate a split service that terminates at Canning Town and North Greenwich. According to Highways Magazine, 25,000 vehicles are expected to be using the Silvertown Tunnel each day. Strait of Gibraltar Tunnel: A New Bridge Between Continents CHARGED UP This comes as motorists who use the Dartford tunnel toll route could face triple the costs - if the upcoming Lower Thames Crossing mega project is built using private finance. Transport analysts suggest that funding for the new crossing, a 14.3-mile route connecting Essex and Kent with an estimated price tag of £9.2 billion, could result in daily fees at the Dartford Crossing soaring to £8.10. Currently, cars pay £2.50 to use the crossing, but the Transport Action Network (TAN) suggests fees could rise to £8.10 for cars and £14 for lorries to cover the Lower Thames Crossing's construction and financing costs. However, National Highways has dismissed these claims as speculative - claiming that tolls would remain in line with current rates but adjusted for inflation. A National Highways spokesperson told Sun Motors: 'These numbers are untrue. "As the planning application for the project made clear, charges will be applied at the same rate as the Dartford Crossing.' The Lower Thames Crossing project, approved in March, would massively ease congestion by providing an alternative route for vehicles between Essex and Kent. Specifically, the huge, motorway-style tunnel would link the town of Tilbury in Essex to Medway in Kent, would also be connected to the A2 and M2 in Kent, as well as the A13 and M25 in Essex. It would also provide transport links between London and crossings to Dover - which, of course, account for half of the goods traded between Britain and mainland Europe. While business groups like the Road Haulage Association and Logistics UK welcome the infrastructure as critical for reducing congestion and improving freight reliability - they stress the importance of keeping tolls reasonable.
BBC News
4 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Silvertown Tunnel usage data published by Transport for London
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 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 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 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 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 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 first of these factsheets will be published later this year, but initial data shows that compliance has steadily increased, with about 90% of customers either paying a charge or benefiting from a relevant discount or 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 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."
BBC News
30-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
Silvertown Tunnel to close over 17 nights for maintenance
The Silvertown Tunnel will close for 17 nights over a number of dates until 22 June for general maintenance and snagging works, Transport for London has the southbound only closures, buses will be diverted via the Blackwall the northbound or both directions are shut, buses will operate a split-service terminating at Canning Town and North Greenwich, with customers advised to use the Tube or take the route 108 to complete their journey across the river.A TfL spokesperson said: "TfL will look to ensure bus services can continue to run where possible and has been communicating with drivers about the closures and weekly customer emails." Planned overnight closures:Friday 30 May 22:00-06:00 (Southbound only)Saturday 31 May 22:00-06:00 (Southbound only)Sunday 1 June 22:00-05:00 (Southbound only)Monday 2 June 22:00-05:00 (Southbound only)Tuesday 3 June 22:00-05:00 (Southbound only)Wednesday 4 June 22:00-05:00 (Both directions closed)Thursday 5 June 22:00-05:00 (Northbound only)Friday 6 June 22:00-06:00 (Both directions closed)Saturday 7 June 22:00-06:00 (Both directions closed)Sunday 8 June 22:00-05:00 (Both directions closed)Friday 13 June 22:00-06:00 (Both directions closed)Saturday 14 June 22:00-06:00 (Both directions closed)Sunday 15 June 22:00-05:00 (Both directions closed)Wednesday 18 June 22:00-05:00 (Southbound only)Friday 20 June 22:00-06:00 (Both directions closed)Saturday 21 June 22:00-06:00 (Both bores closed)Sunday 22 June 22:00-05:00 (Both directions closed) The £2.2bn Silvertown Tunnel, which opened on 7 April, stretches almost a mile (1.4km) under the River Thames from Greenwich to Newham, next to the Blackwall announced in 2012, Mayor of London Sir Sadiq Khan reviewed the scheme when he came into office, before saying it would be a vital link across the Thames in east tunnels are subject to tolls - costing £4 in peak times to drive a car through.
