Blackwall and Silvertown Tunnel charges rise as TfL increases prices

Motorists using the Blackwall and Silvertown tunnels now pay more to cross the Thames after Transport for London raised its charges.

The new prices came into effect on Monday 21 September, with TfL increasing charges by an effective overall rate of around 4.4 per cent.

For cars and small vans using Auto Pay, the off-peak charge rose from £1.50 to £1.55, while the peak charge increased from £4 to £4.20.

Motorcycles, mopeds and motor tricycles now cost £1.55 off-peak and £2.60 at peak times, while large vans are charged £2.60 off-peak and £6.80 at peak times.

Heavy goods vehicles have seen their charges increase from £5 to £5.25 off-peak and from £10 to £10.50 during peak periods.

Drivers who do not use Auto Pay pay the higher charge at all times.

Charges apply between 6 am and 10 pm, with Auto Pay peak charges applying Monday to Friday northbound between 6 am and 10 am and southbound between 4 pm and 7 pm.

TfL says itsays it calculated the increases using the cumulative change in the Retail Prices Index between December 2024 and March 2026. Charges have then been rounded to the nearest five pence.

There are currently no changes to discounts, exemptions, or Penalty Charge Notices.

The low-income residents' discount will continue to provide a 50 per cent reduction on the new charges, while the local business discount remains a £1 reduction on off-peak charges.

TfL says tunnel scheme is reducing congestion.

The price increase comes as TfL publishes its first full year of monitoring since the Silvertown Tunnel opened between the Greenwich Peninsula and Silvertown in April 2025.

According to TfL, peak journey times on the A102 northbound approach to the Blackwall Tunnel from Sun in the Sands have fallen by 58 per cent during the morning peak and 47 per cent during the evening peak.

Weekday traffic using the Blackwall and Silvertown tunnels combined also remains below the levels previously recorded at the Blackwall Tunnel alone.

TfL says incidents involving over-height vehicles at the Blackwall Tunnel have fallen by 23 per cent.

The report also found that nitrogen dioxide concentrations in the area have fallen by an average of 17 per cent compared with the year before the Silvertown Tunnel opened.

More passengers crossing by bus

TfL has also reported a significant increase in the number of people travelling across the Thames by bus.

There are now 21 zero-emission buses an hour serving the Blackwall and Silvertown tunnels.

More than 30,000 journeys are being made each day on the new SL4, extended route 129 and existing route 108, with TfL estimating that around a third of those journeys cross the river.

Cross-river bus journeys through the two tunnels are up 290 per cent compared with the year before the Silvertown Tunnel opened.

More than one in ten journeys through the two tunnels are now being made by public transport.

Why are drivers being charged?

TfL says charging both the Blackwall and Silvertown tunnels is intended to manage traffic demand and minimise the environmental impact of the new crossing.

The user charge was also required under the Development Consent Order granted for the Silvertown Tunnel in 2018.

TfL's 12-month review concluded that the charges were managing traffic broadly as expected.

Revenue raised through the charges is used to cover the operation, maintenance, and repayment costs of the tunnels, with any surplus reinvested into the wider public transport network.

More than 3.7 million vehicles are now registered for TfL Auto Pay, with more than 80 per cent of tunnel charges being paid through the service.

The Silvertown Tunnel opened on 7 April 2025, connecting the Greenwich Peninsula with Silvertown in east London.

TfL says it will continue monitoring traffic, air quality, noise, and the scheme's wider impacts until at least April 2028.