Transport for London (TfL) is inviting fleets and drivers to pre-register for Silvertown and Blackwall Tunnel user charge discounts ahead of tolls starting in April.
The new Silvertown Tunnel opens on 7 April with charges of up to £4 per journey for car drivers and up to £6.50 for vans.
Charges will also be replicated across the Blackwall Tunnel, which has been free to use since it opened in 1897, to ensure traffic levels there don’t rise.
Tolls are required as part of the development consent for the new tunnel and will repay building costs while also covering ongoing maintenance and operation costs at both tunnels.
User charges will apply from 6am to 10pm, seven days a week, with higher charges at peak times (from 06.00 to 10.00 and 16.00 to 19.00 Monday to Friday) and reduced tolls off-peak for vehicles registered with TfL Auto Pay.
TfL is encouraging fleets and drivers to pre-register for TfL Auto Pay now, ensuring they benefit from the off-peak charges from 7 April. Customers who already have an Auto Pay account will automatically pay the tunnel charges from 7 April, but are encouraged to check all vehicles they use to drive through the tunnels are registered on their account. Registering for TfL Auto Pay is free, and there are no renewal fees.
TfL is also inviting small businesses, sole traders and charities registered and operating from Greenwich, Newham or Tower Hamlets to register for separate user charge discounts. Such organisations are eligible for a £1 discount on the off-peak charge on a maximum of three vehicles. Those eligible for the discount can register now at www.tfl.gov.uk/tunnel-discounts.
And low-income residents in 12 east London boroughs and the City of London, and on certain benefits, are eligible for a 50% discount on tunnel crossing charges by pre-registering with TfL.
The user discounts are different to the off-peak discount available to all drivers via TfL Auto Pay and must be applied for separately.
The concessions are in addition to the free cross-river bus journeys TfL is offering on routes serving both the Silvertown and Blackwall Tunnels for at least a year, and the cycle-shuttle service which will allow cyclists to safely cross the river.
First announced in 2012, the Silvertown Tunnel will link Newham to the Greenwich Peninsula and is expected to make journeys faster and more reliable, with average journey times predicted to be up to 20 minutes faster at peak times. The tunnel will also allow TfL to increase the number of buses able to cross the river in this area from six to 21 an hour in each direction during the busiest times.
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 queues.
Latest research from Geotab has revealed the significant impact of Blackwall Tunnel closures on safety, congestion and travel disruption.
Dangerous driving incidents surged by 231% on Tower Bridge during tunnel closures, with lorries seeing a 341% increase in harsh braking events.
Over 5,500 commercial journeys were rerouted, resulting in an additional 91,000 miles driven on alternative central London routes in 2024.
Meanwhile, alternative routes through central London saw a 43% rise in travel times, reflecting a slowdown in traffic alongside higher fuel consumption and emissions
But Geotab has also warned that the arrival of tolls could worsen traffic displacement, congestion and safety risks.
Aaron Jarvis, associate vice president, sales and business development, EMEA, Geotab, said: “We cannot say now whether the introduction of a toll to the Blackwall Tunnel for the first time since it opened in 1890 will continue the displacement of road traffic to these other areas, but we do know that commercial vehicles spending more time on the road going shorter distances is not good for local communities, the economy, air pollution, or driver wellbeing.”
