Premier Mark McGowan (centre),PM Anthony Albanese and WA Transport Minister Rita Saffioti cut the ribbon at the opening of Perth’s Metronet Airport Link on Sunday.

Premier Mark McGowan (centre),PM Anthony Albanese and WA Transport Minister Rita Saffioti cut the ribbon at the opening of Perth’s Metronet Airport Link on Sunday.

It travels under the Swan River and Perth Airport and is the only train service in Australia that will transport commuters to and from the airport at the regular passenger fare.

The first weekday service will leave Perth Station at 5.12am on Monday,arriving at Airport Central at 5.30am.

Trains will run until about midnight,and later on Friday and Saturday nights.

Albanese described the line’s opening as a “historic” day for Perth.

“It’s taken the vision of the Mark McGowan government to deliver this exciting project,one of six new rail lines transforming the way that this great global city of Perth operates,making it easier for people to get around improving the livability,productivity and sustainability of this great city,” he said.

“At the same time,of course,we’ve seen thousands of jobs created as a direct result of this project. This is a great day and I congratulate all those workers and planners and engineers who’ve been involved in delivering this fantastic project.”

McGowan also thanked the workers involved in the “mammoth feat of engineering”,adding that the train line will vastly improve the city’s connectivity.

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“The Metronet Airport Line is a game-changer for the eastern suburbs and foothills,” he said.

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“We are delivering on our Metronet vision to connect suburbs,create jobs,reduce congestion,and create liveable communities connected by world-class public transport.”

There will also be an improved bus network,with an extra 26 new buses and 1.7 million annual bus service kilometres added to the public transport network.

Parking for commuters will be available at High Wycombe Station (1200 bays) and Redcliffe Station (500 bays) for $2 a day.

Saffioti spruiked the positive effect on tourism the project will have.

“The Airport Line will also support domestic and international tourism by providing travellers with another option to travel to and from the airport at a very affordable price,” she said.

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