$900m electric railway line from Adelaide to Gawler to open on Sunday, June 12

It has taken 14 years but finally the new $900m Gawler to Adelaide electric rail line will officially open. Watch the video to go on the ride with us.

Commuter trains have changed considerably since a young Mark Gregory starting driving rail cars from Gawler to Adelaide in the 1990s.

The South Australian-built Red Hens were notorious for their lack of airconditioning and heating, with passengers either sitting beside open sliding doors in extreme heat or huddling under blankets during winter.

Last month ahead of the opening, Mr Gregory became one of the first people to drive a train on the newly electrified line between South Australia’s oldest country town and the city.

The tuition of 171 train drivers largely involved learning to approach and depart from the 25 stops on the 42km stretch of railway under electric power, rather than diesel.

Drivers also were familiarised with new signals along the track, which also features upgraded platforms, pedestrian “maze” entrances and perimeter fencing.

Train driver Mark Gregory being trained on the newly electrified Gawler line. Picture: Brenton Edwards

For Mr Gregory, 53, the experience was part of a lifelong career with Adelaide’s metropolitan rail network, which began at the historic Gawler Railway Station as a station assistant.

“It makes you feel old,” he said, pulling in at Gawler after his first time behind the controls of a train on the electrified line.

“I used to clean the stations, sweeping the platforms and picking up rubbish.

“Then I started driving Red Hens. You would be in this tiny little cabin, copping the sun full blast with no airconditioning.

“In winter it would be freezing because there was no heating.

“Now it’s totally different, for a start there’s much better airconditioning.”

An electric train similar to the ones which be used on the new electrified Adelaide to Gawler railway line. Picture: Supplied

A Red Hen train at the Adelaide Railway Station in 1979. Picture: John Guster

The electrified line between Adelaide and Gawler will open on Sunday, ending a $900m project which began in 2008 before becoming beset by delays.

It will be serviced by the same model of electric trains used between Adelaide and Seaford – Alstorm Electrical Multiple Unit (EMU) 4000s.

The existing timetable will be reactivated, with express services during peak hours expected to take around 45 minutes.

The Advertiser was taken on a training run, with Mr Gregory reaching maximum speeds of 110km/h, compared to 90km/h for the diesel-powered trains being replaced.

The interior of one of the trains which will be used on the Adelaide to Gawler rail line. Picture: Brenton Edwards

Other significant differences include the quietness of the electric trains, their faster acceleration and improved passenger comfort, including – unlike the Red Hens – heating and airconditioning.

They all have computerised systems which can take control of the trains in emergencies, similar to autopilot systems on aircraft, and black box recorders to track journeys.

Sensors alongside the tracks also monitor the trains while internal and external cameras take continuous recordings.

The trains will be serviced and cleaned at a large depot at Dry Creek, opened in 2011 to replace the former railyard near Adelaide Railway Station now occupied by the Royal Adelaide Hospital.

Transport Minister Tom Koutsantonis said the Adelaide to Gawler electric line was “an important piece of infrastructure that has been a long time coming”.

“The people of the northern suburbs deserve to have this delivered as quickly as possible,” he said.

The line is scheduled to open on June 12.