Power cut closes Blackwall Tunnel, Rotherhithe Tunnel and halts DLR
A major power cut has closed the Blackwall Tunnel and Rotherhithe in each direction this afternoon (Tuesday 29 March).
The DLR also stopped running but TfL now list it as seeing delays.
Other tunnels are closed in east London such as the Limehouse Link.
The cause is a fire in Poplar which broke out at 12.48pm. 40 firefighters are on scene with the Brigade stating: “Part of the ground floor of a two-storey electrical substation is alight. A 25-metre cordon is in place as a precaution. Around 100 people were evacuated from an adjacent depot and 1500 students were evacuated from a college at the rear of the substation.”
Up to 38,000 customers had been affected by power outages.
UPDATE: The Woolwich ferry is also now closed.
Long queues are evident in Charlton, Greenwich and Woolwich with buses seeing delays. Dartford is also extremely heavy as drivers divert.
It’s unusual for the Woolwich ferry to be closed.
I’m glad I wasn’t riding the DLR today. I don’t relish the idea of the train coming to a halt in a tunnel or high up in the air.
@Jane: it could be that it can’t cope with the build up of traffic.