Silvertown tunnel 'bike bus’: TfL reveals new details for cycle-shuttle service under Thames

Earmarked to open in Spring 2025, the £2bn scheme will link Greenwich with Silvertown in Newham via a tunnel running beneath the River Thames, the first in London for more than 30 years.

The 1.4km tunnel, with a dedicated bus lane, will aim to help reduce congestion at the Blackwall Tunnel while also contributing to improved air quality and public transport links.

Stagecoach will operate the cross-river cycle shuttle bus for cyclists to safely travel through tunnel

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The “bike bus” route will be served by electric buses, operating at least a five bus an hour service, seven days a week from 6.30am to 9.30pm, and will allow people with bikes to safely cross the river. The service will be free of charge for at least the first year.

However 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.

TfL said it was “now preparing the roads, vehicles and infrastructure for the new cross-river bus network and cycle shuttle bus”.

A spokesperson said: “Further details about the route, including the final locations of the bus stops, will be confirmed later this year ahead of the Silvertown tunnel opening in Spring 2025.”

Paul Lynch, Managing Director for Stagecoach London, said: “It is fantastic that Stagecoach can help expand the ways the local community connect to what matters most to them. This new addition to our network will build on our ambitions for a thriving local bus network with sustainability at its core.”