Here’s a wonderful duo of news for London transport fans and those of us who are still feeling BROKE after the holiday season. London’s Silvertown Tunnel will finally be opening on April 7, 2025, linking East London’s Silvertown with the Greenwich Peninsula. And to celebrate, TfL is making journeys free along the three bus routes that service the tunnels and wider area. That’s right: a shiny new tunnel to reduce congestion and free bus journeys!
The Silvertown Tunnel was first proposed all the way back in 2012. Plans were approved in 2018, and construction began in 2021. And now the finish line is in sight, with the tunnel due to open in just a few months!
The new tunnel will help to ease congestion in the area during busy travel times and provide an alternative route when the Blackwall Tunnel is closed. It will also provide for further public transport links, with “new routes and better access to more destinations in addition to existing Blackwall Tunnel services” according to TfL.
“Across both tunnels, there will be 21 buses an hour in each direction during peak times”. And thanks to a dedicated bus lane in both directions, double-decker buses can cross the river east of Tower Bridge for the first time in the Silvertown Tunnel. There will even be a free shuttle service allowing cyclists to rack their bikes and safely cross the tunnel.
But enough about the tunnels – you want to know about the free bus trips, don’t you?
Free bus journeys
From April 7, 2025, you’ll be able to travel across the following bus routes for free:
- Superloop SL4
- the extended 129 route (now going through the Silvertown Tunnel)
- the 108 route
However, it’s worth noting you can’t simply stroll aboard. You’ll still have to tap on with a valid “contactless card, mobile or watch, or valid Oyster card”. Your form of payment will still need to be valid for travel and have credit.
Journeys will be free even if they don’t utilise the new Silvertown Tunnel.
The free travel will be available “for at least 12 months”. Fingers crossed they keep extending it indefinitely!
Free DLR Travel
But they’re not just stopping at free bus journeys; TfL is also making travel between certain DLR stations free. If your journey is between or includes the following stations, you will receive a refund on your fare.
- Cutty Sark – Island Gardens
- Woolwich Arsenal – King George V
But make sure you tap in and out correctly – incomplete journeys will not be refunded.
Journeys will be automatically refunded within 14 days of travel. If you used an Oyster for your journey you will need to tap a yellow reader within four days of the refund being issued to claim it.
Find out more about the new Silvertown Tunnel here.