Patrick,Beau’s father,said the family had just moved to Parramatta,attracted by new infrastructure in the area.

“There’s a lot of infrastructure and architecture projects,” he said.

“There’s the Powerhouse,obviously,and the[award-winning PHIVE] library,they’re going to redo the Riverside Theatre,there’s the Aquatic Centre. And,by the time everything’s done,there’s going to be train,light rail,bus,metro and ferry.”

The opening surprised Hang Lam,whose My Hung Fabric Shop is in front of the Church Street light-rail stop. She hoped the commuters brought to the area would help revitalise trade after five years of construction and testing.

“Before COVID it was good,but after,they locked the street,covered everything in material ... It was a lot of construction,and very dirty,unhealthy,with the smell of chemicals if it was a windy day or the dust was blowing,” she said.

“They locked the street up and down there,so now the customers forget this street. They only remember[nearby Parramatta] Westfield. Westfield is safe.”

The state governmentthis year confirmed the second stage of the line – from Camellia,east of Parramatta,to Sydney Olympic Park – would go ahead,with early construction to begin next year.

Telopea local Betsy Kwong used the light rail to get to Parramatta Square before taking the train to the Sydney CBD. She was thrilled with her first journey,four minutes quicker than before.

“Everything is very modern,it’s very different from 13 years ago when Parramatta was very dirty and very old,but now look at it. It’s so modern. A very good experience.”

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