Updated story: Woolwich Foot Tunnel, where one lift has now been out of service for nearly three years, has reopened after being closed because of a drainage problem.

The issue is the latest fiasco to hit the river crossing, where promised works to fix the northern lift have not yet materialised.

Greenwich Council announced the closure on social media on Thursday morning, calling the problem “a public safety issue”, before later clarifying that it was “emergency drainage maintenance”.

The council announced at 2.20pm on Friday that the tunnel had reopened, again through social media.

The 113-year-old tunnel, which links Woolwich with North Woolwich and was originally built for dock workers, has suffered from problems for the past 14 years after a botched refurbishment programme overseen by the council, and more recently because of difficulties obtaining parts for the lifts. On the north side, the lift has been out of service since August 2022.

Since the 1980s the tunnel has been operated by Greenwich Council, but it is jointly owned with Newham, meaning the two councils must agree on major works.

Last year a row between the two Labour-run councils held up work to fix the northern lift, but this appeared to have been resolved in August last year with Newham agreeing to release the cash needed for the work.

But despite Greenwich Council pledging that it would complete the works by January, no progress has been made. 

Last month, when asked by Alison Turner, a local resident, when work would begin, Greenwich’s deputy leader Averil Lekau told a council meeting: “There’s nothing I find more frustrating than the issue of the foot tunnels. Can I give you a date? No. Am I in control of that date? No. As soon as I am in control and I can give you that information, yes, I will give you that information, but I understand your frustration.”

There have been similar issues at its sister tunnel in Greenwich, where both lifts are currently out of service in the lead-up to Sunday’s London Marathon, according to the council website. That tunnel is jointly owned with Tower Hamlets under a similar arrangement.

Replacing the lifts at both the tunnels is expected to cost about £10.5 million, but Greenwich says it would need money from elsewhere to fund the works.

Alternative ways across the Thames when the Woolwich tunnel is closed include the Woolwich Ferry, which runs between 6am and 10pm, and the Docklands Light Railway, which is currently free between Woolwich Arsenal and King George V as part of the Silvertown Tunnel concessions. 

Updated at 2.50pm on Friday to include the tunnel’s reopening.

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