England: London, the Greenwich Foot Tunnel

The southern, Greenwich-side entrance to the Greenwich Foot Tunnel

Did you know it is possible to walk under the River Thames in London? There are two tunnels, the Greenwich Foot Tunnel and the Woolrich Foot Tunnel, that pass under the Thames. These two tunnels are on the east side of London about 4 miles apart.

The southern entrance of the Greenwich Foot Tunnel is, as you might expect, in Greenwich not far from the Cutty Sark. Through the entrance doors, a choice of spiral staircase or elevator takes pedestrians and cyclists fifty feet down to the tunnel level. At the bottom, a 1,215-foot long subway-tile lined tube, completed in 1902, connects the sides of the river. The exit at the northern end of the tunnel is on the Isle of Dogs.

The trans-Thames pedestrian tunnel parallels a mass transit line. Indeed, there are Docklands Light Railway stations near both ends of the Greenwich Foot Tunnel making the underwater passage seem like an anachronism. But it is not. The tube under the Thames is a popular foot and bike route particularly at the peak of the commute.

Inside the tunnel: The tube slopes in from both sides.

The deepest point of the tunnel

The Isle of Dogs entrance for the tunnel