The ribbon cutting ends more than two years of major disruptions and completes the 66-kilometre line which now connects the city’s south-west to the north-west.

For commuters who have endured pink replacement buses for years, the opening of the final stretch between Sydenham and Bankstown could not come soon enough. Follow live.

The opening of the final stretch of the M1 metro line in the early hours of Friday marks a new chapter in the long history of Sydney’s train network.

Delayed by more than two years, the final stretch of the $30 billion M1 metro rail line was almost derailed on several occasions.

The opening on Friday of the final stretch of Sydney’s M1 metro line is prompting authorities to make extra contingency plans to handle crowds.