Perth commuters will finally be able to take the train to and from the airport, with the WA government announcing the opening date for the Forrestfield-Airport Link will be October 10.
The rail line includes three stations in total, in the suburbs of Redcliffe and High Wycombe, and one at Airport Central, linking Perth's eastern suburbs to the city.
Fares will be capped at $5, and are expected to carry about 20,000 passengers a day in the line's first year of service.
The $1.9 billion airport rail line was initially scheduled to open in 2020, but was pushed back several times.
The state government has previously attributed the delays to soft sand and workplace safety issues, as well as labour and supply shortages resulting from the pandemic.
Transport Minister Rita Saffioti said the official launch of the Metronet project would "completely change the way we travel in WA".
"The first train will leave Perth Station at 5:12 in the morning and arrive here at the station at 5:30am. The last train will leave around 12pm," she said.
"It'll service approximately 80 to 85 per cent of flights."
Ms Saffioti also announced several updates to the Metronet project, including contracts being awarded for works on the Byford rail extension and new stations and level crossing removals along the Armadale line.
"In addition to the existing scope, we're also announcing the commitment to remove the level crossing at William Street, and the new Beckenham train station," she said.
The shutdown of the Armadale line, initially scheduled for early next year, has also been pushed back to late 2023.
A $10 billion dream
The McGowan Government has floated the idea of Metronet for almost a decade and, in 2017, came into power on the back of a campaign promise to deliver it.
"At the end of the day, all good things come to those who wait. And this will be an amazing piece of public transport infrastructure that will serve the needs of the state for decades to come," Premier Mark McGowan said.
"[It's] been talked about for decades, and now it's finally being delivered … it's the most amazing rail station, I think, in the southern hemisphere," he said.
Since work started in 2017, the scope of the project has grown from nine projects to at least 18, and the cost has swelled from $3.6 billion to almost $10 billion.
The total cost includes a blow-out of $1.2 billion from initial cost estimates.
Excluding the newly announced completion of the Forrestfield-Airport Link, the only other Metronet projects completed are a multi-storey car park, two removed level crossings, and a facility for building and testing trains.
Construction is underway on rail lines to Perth's outer suburbs, including Yanchep and Ellenbrook, but these have experienced delays too, with the Morley-Ellenbrook deadline pushed back from 2022 to 2024.
Metronet aimed to address Perth's continuing urban sprawl, with the rail line and train stations acting as catalysts for residential and commercial development.
But the number of people in Perth taking public transport has been falling since 2013, accelerated by COVID-19.
