Tyne Tunnel toll rise of up to 16% for motorists using the crossing is coming soon

From Monday, May 1 – a bank holiday – drivers of class 2 vehicles which means cars, vans or buses weighing less than 3.5 tonnes, will be charged £2.20, up from £1.90 and a hike of 16%.

Class 3 vehicles, which are LGVs, vans or buses over 3.5 tonnes, will be charged £4.40, up from £3.90 and a rise of 13%.

Pre-paying account holders will continue to receive a 10% discount on their journeys through the tunnel, making the new toll for account holders £1.98 for class 2 and £3.96 for class 3.

The twin tunnel is run by TT2 and owned by the North East Combined Authority, the legal body that brings together the four councils serving Sunderland, County Durham, South Tyneside and Gateshead.

The price rises were announced in October 2022, but the details have now been finalised.

A TT2 spokesperson said: “The Tyne and Wear Sub Committee confirmed that the Tyne Tunnel toll will increase to £2.20 for Class 2 and £4.40 for Class 3 from 1 May 2023.

“The upkeep and construction costs of the tunnels are solely funded by tolls, not council tax and the toll increase, applied under the terms of the River Tyne (Tunnels) Order, is necessary to cover the running and maintenance costs of the tunnels, and repay the costs of the construction of the second tunnel, in line with inflation.

“You can find out more about what toll payments go towards here: www.tt2.co.uk/toll-information/why-pay-a-toll/.”

The previous toll rise came in May 2021, a more modest increase of 10p. The toll system has been in place since the road tunnel first opened in 1967. The nearby pedestrian and cycle tunnel is free to use.

In November 2021 the tunnel went cashless. But there was criticism that motorists would only have until midnight the day after using the tunnel pay their tolls, or face a fine of £30, doubled to £60 if not paid within 14 days.

Between April and September 2022, a total of 268,212 fines were issued to drivers.