LED lighting installed in London road tunnel

In a UK first, linear LED lighting has been installed in a central London tunnel by Transport for London (TfL), helping to improve safety and reduce maintenance closures as well as cut energy consumption and costs.

The Upper Thames Street westbound tunnel is now entirely lit with LED lights. The design and colour of the lights is intended to improve visibility for cyclists and motorists to boost safety.



Projections show that the cost of lighting the Upper Thames Street tunnel could fall from around GBP 50,000 each year to less than GBP 10,000. The LED lights are expected to last for 20 years, as opposed to the existing system's two-year life span, significantly reducing the need for maintenance closures. Also, the tunnel lights will cut CO₂ emissions by more than 60 per cent.

The LED system is contributing towards the Mayor of London Boris Johnson’s target of a 60% reduction in the Capital’s CO₂ emissions by 2025, and will deliver an estimated saving around 163 tonnes of CO₂emissions per year.