Buses on route 108 are running faster since the Silvertown Tunnel opened, with passengers now waiting less time for their service, Transport for London has said.
The data was released as an investigation by ITV News London found that the new tunnel’s cycle shuttle bus was struggling to attract riders – with only a single passenger using it in more than an hour on Monday morning.
Early figures from the mayor’s transport agency show that the “excess wait time” for a 108 – the period passengers have to wait beyond the scheduled waiting time for a bus – was 1.15 minutes in the week the tunnel opened, compared with 1.51 minutes in the same week the previous year, a 23 per cent fall. Schools were on holiday for Easter in both years.
The 108, which runs between Lewisham and Stratford International, is the only service to run via the Blackwall Tunnel, which is next to the Silvertown Tunnel. The new crossing was built to relieve congestion at its older neighbour.
In the week before the Silvertown Tunnel opened, buses on the 108 were running at 9.08mph, while four weeks later they were running at 10.24mph – slightly faster than scheduled, according to TfL. The completion of roadworks in Lewisham town centre during this time will also have contributed to the faster speeds.
The 108 was particularly badly hit by Blackwall Tunnel closures, but can now divert via the Silvertown Tunnel. It also has a new short-cut to use upon leaving the Blackwall Tunnel so it can reach North Greenwich station more quickly.
London mayor Sadiq Khan had branded the 108 “the most unreliable bus route in London” while defending the tunnel, although published TfL data did not bear out this claim.
The statistics are the first to be released by TfL on the performance of the £2.2 billion road crossing, which opened on April 7, the same day that tolls were introduced there and on the adjacent Blackwall Tunnel.
More data may be released this week when the tunnel comes under scrutiny from London Assembly members at Mayor’s Question Time, while TfL is also promising more information.
While the infamous northbound queues at the Blackwall Tunnel have eased, other jams have remained in the wider area and the effect of the tolling on other crossings is as yet unclear.
No fares are being charged for a year on the 108 and the two services that use the Silvertown Tunnel, the 129 and SL4. No data has yet been released on their usage or the effect of the free fares, which apply throughout the whole route.
There is also a special free shuttle bus for cyclists. However, on Monday evening, ITV News London reported that only one passenger used it in 80 minutes in the middle of the morning – a student attending a nearby school. (See 9 minutes, 30 seconds into the programme.) TfL told ITV that thousands of people had used the service already and that it expected patronage to grow as “as the weather improves and cyclists adapt and plan their routes”.
Seb Dance, the deputy mayor for transport, said: “I’m pleased that the new Silvertown Tunnel is already transforming travel in east and southeast London, reducing congestion at the Blackwall Tunnel, improving journey times and providing better cross-river bus routes. You can see its impact from the improved reliability of the 108 bus route which is such as an important service for so many Londoners who use it for work, education and leisure.”
📩 Follow The Greenwich Wire on Bluesky, Facebook, LinkedIn or Threads. You can also sign up for WhatsApp alerts – or subscribe to our emails through the blue box above.
You must be logged in to post a comment.