Tube Lines, the company maintaining and rebuilding parts of the London Underground, has opened a £10m Skills Training Centre in east London

Along with general training for Tube Lines, the centre will provide signalling skills and engineering training programmes.

The centre is fitted with five full-size lengths of track laid for practical training. Four of which are exact replicas of tracks on the Underground, with the fifth track enabling training on the new systems being introduced in line upgrades.

Terry Morgan, chief executive of Tube Lines, said: "The Skills Training Centre sets new standards for best practice in training and development. We are actively taking control of our long-term skills needs and are enabling our people to stay on top of their professions.”

All courses and trainers are nationally recognised and accredited to award National Vocational Qualifications through the City and Guilds.