After years of delays and disputes, the first service using a new fleet of intercity trains is due to pull in to Sydney's Central station shortly before 11am.
The train left Newcastle at 8.21am on Tuesday - about five years after the first sets were originally due to enter service in NSW.
The Korean-built trains were too wide to fit through some tunnels, too long for some platforms and faced opposition from the Rail, Tram and Bus Union due to plans for drivers to monitor platforms using CCTV, reducing staffing requirements.
An agreement was eventually reached with the union after a long dispute with the former coalition government and modifications were made locally beginning in August 2023.
Transport Minister Jo Haylen said it should not have taken so long for the trains to enter service, but they were finally taking passengers along the Newcastle and Central Coast lines.
Passengers along the Blue Mountains, Illawarra and South Coast lines will have to wait a while longer, but Ms Haylen said it would be worth it.
"These state-of-the-art trains will make travel between Sydney and our regional cities safer and more comfortable," she said.
The trains are due to replace rolling stock that entered service almost five decades earlier.
Early renders of the trains featured "NSW TrainLink" branding, which is being abolished as its operations merge with Sydney Trains.
Sydney Trains chief executive Matt Longland said getting the trains on the tracks was an incredibly complex project.
"But we are pleased we have been able to work with the unions to locally modify these trains and get them into service," he said.
"The Mariyung trains are quieter and roomier and will provide our passengers with a much improved and more comfortable travelling experience for decades to come."
The electric trains, also known as the "D Set", have been given the name Mariyung after the Darug language word for emu.
They will feature artwork from Indigenous artist Leanne Mulgo Watson.
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