Service alerts
Learn more about what can cause service delays or cancellations
This page is updated regularly when we have advanced notice of situations which may impact our service. For the most up to date information on our services please follow @thamesclippers on Twitter.
As soon as we are aware of any disruptions, service alerts will be sent via Twitter.
Service alerts
The Great River Race
Saturday, 16 September
London’s River Marathon, The Great River Race, is taking place on Saturday 16 September.
Piers on the north side of the river will be closed whilst competitors pass for their safety. This will last for approximately 1 hour at each pier, at the following times:
Tower Pier: 12:00 - 13:00
Embankment Pier: 12:25 - 13:25
Westminster Pier: 12:30 - 13:30
Millbank Pier: 12:40 - 13:40
Anyone wishing to disembark at these piers during these times will instead need to disembark on the south side of the river at the following piers: London Bridge City, Bankside, London Eye (Waterloo), or Vauxhall (St George Wharf) and cross over using nearby bridges.
For the most up to date information on the day, please check @thamesclippers on Twitter.
Thames Barrier Closures
To view a full list of upcoming barrier closure dates, visit the government website.
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Thames Barrier Closure
Wednesday, 18 OctoberA test closure of the Thames Barrier is scheduled to take place 09:40 – 12:10 on Thursday 6 July. This will prevent some morning services from calling at Barking Riverside and Woolwich (Royal Arsenal) piers.
The last westbound service departing these piers will be the 09:20 from Barking Riverside Pier. The last three eastbound services of the morning will end at North Greenwich Pier.
Evening services will not be affected.
Service updates on Twitter
- Our fleet control update Twitter with delay information using TfL’s wording for delays. “Minor” refers to delays between 5-15 minutes. “Severe” refers to delays that are over 15 minutes.
- When a service is “suspended between two piers” this means that the service is not able to run between the piers mentioned or at the intermediate piers.
- We cannot always give a specific reason for each individual delay nor can our fleet control respond to individual tweets asking about the arrival time of your service.
What causes service delays and alerts?
Spontaneous service delays can be caused by a number of issues including river congestion, pier congestion, passenger demand, passenger disruption and occasional technical issues with our vessels. When we are aware of these disruptions, a service alert is issued via our Twitter page.
Anticipated service alerts can be caused by:
- Tidal conditions
At extremely low tides, our vessels may be unable to dock successfully at some of our piers or it may be unsafe for passengers to attempt to board from them. Low tide also limits the Thames’s river traffic capacity which can cause congestion. - Thames Barrier closures
The Thames Barrier is located between Woolwich (Royal Arsenal) and Royal Wharf piers. When the barrier is closed for tests, or to prevent London from flooding, our services are unable to reach Woolwich (Royal Arsenal) or Barking Riverside piers. - London fog
In extreme fog our services cannot operate. As foggy conditions can change rapidly, please check our Twitter page for the most up-to-date information. - Riverside activities
The Thames is an incredibly active river and events regularly take place along its banks and on the river itself which have the potential to affect some services.
We apologise for any inconvenience that service disruption has caused to your journey and we always appreciate your patience while we manage the matter. If you wish to contact our Customer Service Team, you can do so here.