Construction at Ellenbrook has finished. Photo: Jayde Andrews.

Major developments have occurred in the New Metronet Line from Ellenbrook to Morley, and the first train testing the line from Ellenbrook to Whiteman Park departed on Tuesday.

The track is comprised of 346 tonnes of steel and 1160 tonnes of concrete and stretches 21km.

The trial train, carrying no passengers, tested the line from Ellenbrook to Whiteman Park, and the testing will continue until the Morley and Noranda train stations open at the end of the year.

Communities along the railway are excited about the opening date and how it will make transportation easier.

Metronet spokeperson Analise Heely said that the construction was tracking well: “The rail has been fully laid, and overhead line systems switched on, allowing test trains to run.”

With the newly tested tracks, residents have said that it is starting to feel that there will be a train line that the Eastern Suburbs they can easily access.  

Ellenbrook resident Jo Lassey said she has been counting down the days until the train line opens: “I think that the new line will be safer because people will get home faster.”

Jo Lassey has lived in Ellenbrook for 15 years and only first realised transport was a problem when she began working in the city. She described Ellenbrook as isolated, because not much public transport has been available.

“It takes my son an hour and 20 minutes to get to TAFE every single day and the new line will cut off 30 minutes of that,” she said.

Ellenbrook Resident Jo Lassey says the train line has been a long time coming. Photo supplied by Jo Lassey.

She said Metronet has promised a train line for residents along the eastern suburbs for many years and residents have been frustrated by years of delays.

“There are people who are fed up with the transport and they’ll believe it when they see it. There are people here who have lived here for 15 years and they are over all the promises and non-deliveries,” she said.

On the other end of the line, Whitman Park resident Amber Evans said she was more than just excited about the test train.

“Funnily enough, it did feel like Utopia, like the TV show, more or less the same thing and I think that there was an episode about this,” she said

Amber Evans says her partner lives close to the city and so the new service will be convenient for them. Photo supplied by Amber Evans.

Amber said she first moved to the area after the announcement of the Metronet line, two years ago, to be closer to the train line.

She also said that social media has had an active presence in informing people on the progress of the Metronet.

“Well if we don’t see it, we won’t believe it so, I think that social media has created more excitement around the line and it feels that it is happening.

“I also think that if their PR teams didn’t show the progress, it would be very disappointing,” she said.