Fast-forward to 2016 and the Waratahs are the pride of Sydney's rail fleet. They are the most comfortable trains on the network, and they break down the least.

The irony of the $3.6 billion Waratah train contract is that it proved a disaster for the manufacturer, Downer - which is now defending claims it withheld problems with the project from their sharemarket - but it was ultimately a pretty good deal for the NSW taxpayer and commuter.

There was that long wait. Because of delays in Downer's construction program, some of which were caused by difficulties with its Chinese contractor, the first trains turned up long after they were meant to arrive in 2009.

But the financial pain was inflicted on the company, not the taxpayer. And even though the new Coalition government eventually said it would provide a $175 million bailout for the project, it is very likely to get a good return on that investment.

For the Sydney rail commuter, the main complaint that can be made these days about the Waratah train is that the government did not order enough of them.