Blackwall Tunnel charge: what you pay, and when it is free

The Blackwall Tunnel was free for its entire life until April 2025. It is not free now, and a great many people crossing it still do not know that, which is why the penalty notices are running at a rate Transport for London compares to the Congestion Charge.

Here is how it actually works, and the window in which it still costs nothing.

What changed, and when

Checked on tfl.gov.uk on 9 September 2026. The Silvertown Tunnel opened in spring 2025, linking Silvertown in east London to the Greenwich Peninsula. It was built to take pressure off the Blackwall Tunnel, speed up peak journeys and carry better cross-river public transport.

It was paid for with a charge, and the charge applies to both tunnels. That is the part people miss. From 7 April 2025, crossing either the Blackwall or the Silvertown tunnel during charging hours costs money, in both directions, for every crossing.

When it is free, which matters if you are out

There is no charge between 22:00 and 06:00. None, either tunnel, either direction.

For anyone on this site that is the sentence that counts. If you are driving home across the river after a night out, you are almost certainly crossing in the free window. The charge is a commuting problem, not an evening one.

After dark lists what is still running past midnight, and the Night Tube covers the version of getting home that does not involve a car at all.

Peak, off-peak, and the Auto Pay catch

During charging hours the rate depends on when you cross. The peak charge applies 06:00 to 10:00 northbound and 16:00 to 19:00 southbound on weekdays. The off-peak charge applies at all other times inside the charging window, including weekends from 06:00 to 22:00.

The off-peak rate is only available to customers registered with TfL Auto Pay. That is the detail that quietly costs occasional drivers money: without Auto Pay you do not get the cheaper rate even when you cross at a quiet time. Small businesses, sole traders and charities that qualify get £1 off the off-peak charge.

Charges apply on every bank holiday except Christmas Day.

How much

We are not printing a figure, because there is not one. The amount depends on your vehicle and when you cross, and TfL publishes it through a vehicle checker rather than as a flat rate. Any site quoting you a single number for the Blackwall Tunnel is guessing or is out of date. Put your registration into TfL’s checker and it will tell you.

If you use either tunnel more than occasionally, registering for Auto Pay is the decision that saves money, because it is the only route to the off-peak rate.

If you would rather not pay at all

The Rotherhithe Tunnel is free but has restrictions on the size of vehicle that can use it. The Woolwich Ferry is free. Both add time, and at peak that time may cost you more than the charge does.

And the obvious one: cross after ten. The tunnels are free from 22:00, which is also when the traffic goes.