A year after opening, Transport for London says the new Silvertown Tunnel is helping cut congestion and improve air quality.

A new report shows congestion has dropped significantly, with northbound peak journey times approaching the Blackwall Tunnel up to 58% quicker in the morning and 47% in the evening

The Silvertown Tunnel under the River Thames in east London, opened in April  2025 running between Silvertown (Newham) on the north side and North Greenwich on the south side

Latest data shows concentrations of major air pollutant nitrogen dioxide have decreased on average by 17% compared with the year prior to Silvertown Tunnel opening. The nitrogen dioxide concentrations measured in the year since the tunnel opened were significantly below thresholds set by the UK Air Quality Strategy, with the highest average concentration being 26.3 µg/m3 – well under the annual limit of 40 µg/m3.

Plus, 21 zero-emission buses per hour serving Blackwall and Silvertown tunnels have supported a 290% increase in cross-river bus journeys

The 1.4km tunnel became the first new road Thames crossing east of London's Tower Bridge in 33 years with the aims of  boosting network performance and resilience while supporting economic and population growth, providing improved cross-river transport links and managing congestion in the area through road user charging.

Alex Williams, chief customer and strategy officer at TfL, said: “It’s excellent to see that the Silvertown Tunnel is successfully achieving what it set out to do – improving the resilience of the road network and reducing congestion, with air quality improving. By making it easier to travel by bus across and near the river, we’re also seeing a surge in customers choosing to travel more sustainably. With more reliable journeys, improved access to public transport and reduced emissions, the tunnel is delivering real benefits for people and businesses on both sides of the river.”