Aberdeen is the largest shareholder of the Riverlinx consortium which has financed and overseen the design, construction and maintenance of east London’s new Silvertown Tunnel.

The 1.4km twin-lane road tunnel under the River Thames, which opened on time on 7 April, connects North Greenwich and Silvertown and is the first new road crossing east of Tower Bridge since the Dartford Crossing was built in the 1990s.

Riverlinx won the competitive financing opportunity in 2019 and entered into a Public-Private Partnership contract with Transport for London to design, build, finance, operate, and maintain the new tunnel. Construction costs were c. £1bn.

Environment and congestion improvements

There are many benefits to the local community and environment. Silvertown Tunnel addresses chronic traffic congestion and air pollution in and around the overburdened Blackwall Tunnel, a Victorian conduit running from North Greenwich to Blackwall which suffers over 700 closures a year. 

This essential new link is expected to carry around 25,000 vehicle journeys a day and has a dedicated lane for buses, coaches and heavy goods vehicles, which allows more bus journeys across the river and allows wider opportunity for commuters to use public transport.  

New buildings above the tunnel entrances and plans to improve walking, cycling and the urban environment, will augment and regenerate both sides of the river.

Infrastructure significance

Silvertown Tunnel was designated a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NISP) and a Development Consent Order (DCO) was awarded by the Secretary of State for Transport in 2018. 

The tunnel’s opening was concurrent with the launch of the Government’s National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority (NISTA), a reform initiative which prioritises efficient delivery of major government projects – including roads, railways, schools and hospitals - by surmounting barriers to infrastructure investment and timely project completion while also providing expertise on private finance. This initiative should encourage more complex infrastructure to be delivered by private finance, of which Silvertown Tunnel is an exemplary project demonstrating that Public Private Partnerships work.

Private capital innovation

Aberdeen’s role in this transformative transport innovation highlights the role of private capital to deliver complex public infrastructure efficiently and sustainably. When private sector partners take on construction, operational and financial risks, they enable public authorities to achieve extraordinary projects without incurring upfront taxpayer funding.

TfL earns revenue from tolls collected from vehicles using both Silvertown and Blackwall tunnels which are used to repay Riverlinx for the construction and operations of the tunnel over the next 25 years.