Closing the Woolwich Ferry

Overview

There has been a ferry service in operation at Woolwich for hundreds of years, and the crossing has been important to the growth of the area. However, because of the limited space available for queuing, ferry traffic often causes tailbacks in Woolwich town centre which affect other local traffic and buses, and the area has become unattractive for pedestrians and cyclists.

TfL is legally obliged to operate the Woolwich Ferry. If we formally propose a new crossing at Gallions Reach, we would seek to remove this obligation.

We could then choose whether to continue running the ferry or to close it – though we would not do so before an alternative crossing was in place. If we did close the ferry, the infrastructure at Woolwich would be decommissioned and the land would be freed up for redevelopment. If we closed the ferry service at Woolwich, pedestrians would still be able to use the nearby DLR to cross the river, or the Woolwich Foot Tunnel.