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A hidden stretch of railway which runs beneath the streets of London is set to open for the public for the first time.

Mail Rail, a 22-mile long electric railway line used by the Royal Mail, opened in 1927 and was used to transport post between Paddington and Whitechapel.

But the line was closed 13 years ago after the sorting offices it served at street level began being sold off.

It was today announced that a portion of the line will reopen as a visitor attraction from spring 2017, allowing the public to visit the stretch of railway for the first time.

Based under the Mount Pleasant Post Office in Clerkenwell, the Heritage Lottery Fund backed project will give an insight into the former working rail line beneath street level.

The trains which used to operate on the line were left behind after its closure but will be transformed to allow them to transport passengers for a short ride.

The ride will take visitors from the new Postal Museum, opening across the road, and the eastbound and westbound platforms.

Despite being disused for a number of years, maintenance of the railway and its tunnels was looked after by three people, including Darren Casey, who worked on the line as a teenage apprentice.

The Postal Museum and Mail Rail are expected to open in spring 2017.