London, 25 November 2019 – Transport for London (TfL) and the RiverLinx consortium – comprising Macquarie Capital, Cintra, Aberdeen Standard Investments, BAM PPP PGGM, and SK E&C – have announced that they have reached financial close with Transport for London on the Silvertown tunnel project.
The signing of the contract to design, build, finance, operate and maintain the tunnel will now allow the consortium’s construction team of BAM Nuttall including sister company Wayss & Freytag Ingenieurbau, Ferrovial Agroman and SK E&C to progress with appointing the local sub-contractors and suppliers who will support the project. This will help deliver a vital piece of infrastructure to prepare for London’s future population growth and relieve chronic congestion and poor air quality around the Blackwall tunnel.
Silvertown will be the UK’s first major road tunnel to include a dedicated bus line in both directions. This will improve cross-river public transport connections, with around 37 buses an hour during peak periods in each direction using the tunnel, including the current six single-decker buses per hour which run through the Blackwall tunnel.
This will result in the proportion of cross-river trips via public transport in this area rising from 10 per cent to 30 per cent. These buses are all expected to be zero emission vehicles and will support the growing demand for bus transport across Greenwich, Newham and Tower Hamlets.
Over the past 30 years, East London, both north and south of the river, has seen significant population growth without major investment in the area’s road infrastructure. The local population is expected to increase further, increasing pressure on the 122-year-old Blackwall tunnel.
The new tunnel will provide more resilient transport links north and south of the river, it will reduce the amount of stop-start traffic as well as cut emissions from idling traffic. TfL estimate that the relief of the congestion at Blackwall and beyond should lead to journey time savings.