Greenwich Council has announced that the north lift at Woolwich Foot Tunnel could finally be repaired by December 2026, ending nearly four years of disruption since the lift was vandalised in August 2022. The lift at the North Woolwich entrance has remained out of service, forcing pedestrians and cyclists to use stairs or seek alternative routes across the River Thames.
Funding and Parts Delays
Talks between Greenwich and Newham councils, which jointly own the tunnel, have been complicated by high costs and difficulties sourcing bespoke parts for the century-old structure. Greenwich Council, responsible for tunnel management, stated that repairs will cost a total of £217,000. Newham Council contributed £120,000 towards replacement parts for the fire system, lift control, lighting, and CCTV, on top of its annual £125,000 for inspections and maintenance.
Council Statements
Newham's senior Labour councillor Zulfiqar Ali suggested the lift could open "by the end of the summer," but Greenwich Council indicated a longer timeline, expecting repairs between now and December. Greenwich's transport lead, Labour councillor Calum O'Byrne Mulligan, explained: "The structure is well over 100 years old, so it requires bespoke parts which have taken some time to manufacture. That has meant it has taken longer for the works to start than we, Newham, and our residents had hoped would be the case."
Impact on Commuters
The broken lift has significantly affected accessibility. Nathan Budden of the 'Lifts Now' campaign told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: "It stops me from cycling a lot of places because I've got a longstanding shoulder injury so I can't carry my bike up the stairs on the other side. I can't always rely on the boat either because of the time of day or the weather, and it more than triples the amount of time." He added that getting a bike on the DLR is not allowed at peak times, so he often "just doesn't bother."
Mr Budden noted that when campaigners leafleted the Tate and Lyle factory in North Woolwich, "half of the people we spoke to were all commuting to work via the tunnel. They've all been frustrated by the lack of action on it."
Future Plans
Lifts Now has called for Transport for London (TfL) to take over responsibility for both the Woolwich and Greenwich foot tunnels, but Cllr O'Byrne Mulligan said in October 2025 that TfL did not want to do this. However, he now reports that Greenwich, Newham, and Tower Hamlets councils have formed "a joint working group" to work on a "full regeneration of the Greenwich and Woolwich foot tunnels, which we hope will ensure reliable step-free access through both tunnels for generations to come."
