Locals rode a shuttle train and viewed three new stations on Melbourne’s new Mernda Line on Sunday.
6,000 locals and train enthusiasts were invited to visit the new stations at Middle Gorge, Hawkstowe and Mernda, as part of celebrations recognising the completion of the project.
The project is an eight-kilometre extension of the South Morang Line in Melbourne’s north-east.
Read more: Opening date set for Mernda Line
The South Morang Line has been renamed Mernda to mark completion of the project. The first official train service will run along the extension on Sunday 26 August.
It will be the first passenger train to Mernda since the Whittlesea Line was decommissioned in 1959.
The Level Crossing Removal Authority successfully tested track, overhead wiring and rail infrastructure in July.
Driver training took place in August.
Work has been underway on the new rail line for approximately a year, having begun in late April 2017.
The project included the construction of three new stations, three rail bridges and two underpasses, as well as a train stabling yard at the end of the line.
Finishing works, such as landscaping around the new stations, are still underway.
Mernda Station will give passengers access to 982 services to the city every week, with two new and seven realigned bus routes connecting passengers to the three new stations on the extension.
The three stations should cater for up to 8,000 commuters a day, helping ease congestion along Plenty Road.
New shared walking and cycling paths will connect the stations and provide alternative transport options.