Blackwall and Silvertown tunnels tolls revealed in TfL consultation

From next Spring drivers will be charged to use the tunnels between 6am and 10pm, seven days a week.

Under TfL’s proposals car drivers will be charged £4 per journey during peak times, while motorcycle drivers will be charged £2.50.

Peak times would apply from 6am to 10am northbound and 4pm to 7pm southbound from Monday to Friday under TfL's plans.

The off-peak rate would be £1.50 for cars, motorbikes and small vans, when paying by Auto Pay.

Get the latest headlines, straight to your inbox, with LondonWorld’s free emails

Large vans would be charged £2.50 during off-peak times and £6.50 in peak times, and HGVs would be charged £5 in off-peak times and £10 in peak hours, when paying by Auto Pay.

Any drivers not using Auto Pay would be charged the peak amount at any time, TfL said.

TfL has proposed a package of “green and fair” concessions and discounts for Londoners and businesses.

These include exemptions for DVLA registered buses, coaches and vehicles and taxis, blue badge holders, and wheelchair-accessible private hire vehicles registered with TfL.

Tunnel charges would also be reimbursed to NHS staff and patients eligible through the NHS reimbursement scheme.

A 50% discount would be available for low-income drivers in 12 east and south-east London boroughs 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.

Bus journeys made on three cross-river routes which start in 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.

Cyclists will not be permitted to ride through either tunnel but can load their bike onto a cyclists-only shuttle bus that will travel through the Silvertown tunnel. The “bike bus” will be free for at least a year.

The proposed tolls were revealed on Wednesday in documents published by TfL as it launched an eight-week consultation.

The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan said: “Local residents and business owners currently face chronic congestion and pollution in the area around the Blackwall Tunnel. When it opens in 2025, the long-planned new Silvertown tunnel will help deliver quicker, more reliable journeys in east London by easing congestion and making journeys up to 20 minutes faster.

“The Silvertown Tunnel scheme has been years in the making, first developed back in 2012. Since I became mayor in 2016, we have worked to improve it, adding discounts for low-income residents and local businesses, new bus services, a bespoke cycle shuttle service and free cross-river bus and DLR transport for at least the first year.”

Christina Calderato, director of Strategy at TfL, said: “The Silvertown Tunnel is now less than a year away from opening and we are sharing our user charging scheme, so Londoners can have their say on the proposed charge levels and wide range of discounts and exemptions. 

“Without introducing tunnel user charges for the Silvertown and Blackwall tunnels, there would likely be high levels of traffic and congestion, which would lead to detrimental air quality impacts, as well as longer journey times.”

The consultation can be viewed at https://haveyoursay.tfl.gov.uk/TC-yourview