A fleet of new trains for the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) has been unveiled by London's Transport Commissioner Bob Kiley.

Praising the DLR as a "huge success in east London", Mr Kiley said the 24 new trains demonstrated Mayor of London Ken Livingstone's commitment to the area.

He said: "The mayor has placed Docklands at the heart of his plans for London's future growth and that's why Transport for London has invested more than �40m in 24 new trains."

The commissioner said the DLR would be vital to the future prosperity of east London.

Urban regeneration

Mr Livingstone said the DLR was a good advertisement for the capital's transport system.

He said: "It is clean, safe and reliable - an example of what all public transport should aspire to be."

Regeneration of areas to the east of the City of London is a central theme of the mayor's long-term plans for the capital.

"These new trains and the better services they bring with them are great news for residents, for commuters and for the continuing regeneration of east London," he said.

The fleet was officially launched at Canary Wharf at 1930 BST on Thursday.