The first of more than 500 carriages that will make up the New Intercity Fleet arrived in Port Kembla from South Korea on Friday.
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Twenty carriages - enough to make up two trains from the $2 billion fleet - were cleared by quarantine while still on board the ship.
Throughout Saturday, the carriages were unloaded and stacked in rows dockside at Port Kembla.
Eagle-eyed commuters spotted some of the carriages, which were loaded onto trailers behind a locomotive, passing through the Illawarra on their way to the testing facility at the Eveleigh train yards near Redfern.
At this stage there is no word on when these first trains will begin carrying commuters, Transport for NSW stating a timeline would be dependent on how they fare through the early testing.
"Each train, which will run as 10-carriage sets, will undergo a rigorous set of stationary and operational tests before we introduce them onto the network," Transport and Roads Minister Andrew Constance said.
"This extensive process includes testing all the mechanical, electrical and technology systems, and the interfaces with the rail network like signalling.
"Once those initial tests have been completed the trains will commence further testing under their own power."
The on-track testing will largely be completed at night, outside timetabled services, though if commuter trains are affected, replacement buses will be used.
The next train sets are expected to arrive around Easter next year.
Over the next two and a half years, all 554 carriages will pass through Port Kembla.
The trains will be rolled out across the Newcastle line first, which was originally expected to be some time this year.
That timeline has been pushed back, which leaves unclear the initial rollout for the Blue Mountains in 2020 and the Illawarra the last in line in 2021.
This is because the trains now on the line are newer than those on other lines.
The original order of 512 carriages was boosted by 42 earlier this year, largely due to what Mr Constance called a "growth explosion" on the South Coast line.
Most of the extra 42 carriages have been earmarked for use on the South Coast line.
The new trains have proved controversial, with South Coast commuters concerned about the loss of seats due to the two-by-two seating configuration.
There was also opposition voiced about the fact the seats are fixed, despite commuters expressing a clear preference for flip seating.
Glen Humphries
I'm an award-winning senior journalist with the Illawarra Mercury and have well over two decades' worth of experience in newspapers. I cover the three local councils in the Illawarra for the Mercury, state and federal politics, as well as writing for the TV guide. If I'm not writing, I'm reading.
I'm an award-winning senior journalist with the Illawarra Mercury and have well over two decades' worth of experience in newspapers. I cover the three local councils in the Illawarra for the Mercury, state and federal politics, as well as writing for the TV guide. If I'm not writing, I'm reading.
