No Light Rail to Gold Coast Airport

[LionKing]

Qld dumps multi-billion dollar light rail due to 'overwhelming' opposition

The Queensland government dumps plans to build a multi-billion dollar public transport project on the Gold Coast, citing a cost blow out and "overwhelming opposition" from locals.

www.abc.net.au

That's definitely a huge blow to OOL.

It seems to me that Gold Coast Airport can only become a regional airport in this circumstances, and potentially it might not revive until 2032?

 

[AuSammy]

Disappointing. Short Sighted. Like a few other projects, both transport and energy related, been chopped since the last election.

 

[tgh]

It is not often that public opinion helps a government with a budget in trouble...

 

[moa999]

That saving will build three Olympic stadiums .

That said the express bus to LR works pretty well today imo, and be an even shorter ride once Stage 3 opens.

And while id like a one seat ride, I can also see why the density of that southern part of the GC struggles to make the economics of LR stack up.

 

[harryhv]

Gold Coast airport management isn't keen on public transport - for example the taxis have been thrown out and have to line up outside a nearby hotel because Uber bribed Gold Coast airport to remove the taxi rank from in front of the terminal.

What OOL really needs is a railway station - for what you and I call trains but opponents call "heavy" rail. That would not only ease transport from the airport, but a fast train to Brisbane would attract commuters to the southern Gold Coast and ease the housing crisis in the city.

 

[jbman]

The “heavy rail” should have been sorted years ago.

The current bus is poor. Used to be a double decker then they moved all of them into the theme park route. Now you get to wait for the all electric bus which is full.

The tram should have been pushed down years ago. Yes it’s slower but it’s better than the current offering.

The 50 cent fares will have to come to an end if there is going to be any progress with the current full trains from GC to BNE everyday

 

[jastel]

From what I observed recently most people dont even tap on/off for the 50c....

The tram is a zoo...would hate to be on there with anything bigger than hand luggage.
I did notice a surfboard holder but no luggage racks. A couple of times bikes tried to get on but obviously wouldnt fit.

 

[justinbrett]

I'm sure the decision will be reversed by a future government.

The problem I had with the extension was how they were going to address capacity and travel times. It's already somewhat slow, 40 minutes or so from Helensvale to Pacific Fair and the trams are often full, especially on weekends and evenings. This will only get worse after Stage 3 opens.

Is anybody going to take the 60 minute tram from Helensvale to Burleigh? It's faster to stay on the train and then connect to a bus at Varsity Lakes.

From what I observed recently most people dont even tap on/off for the 50c....

IME G:Link has the highest coverage of ticket inspectors, even after the 50c was introduced. In addition, it's at least a 50/50 chance whether they will have inspectors at Helensvale when you get off/on. You'd be mad to ride without a ticket, and that's coming from me as a local who uses it regularly

I did notice a surfboard holder but no luggage racks. A couple of times bikes tried to get on but obviously wouldnt fit.

As you can rarely get a seat it's a bit of a moot point. If it's not busy then I'll try an get a seat in the wheelchair area (of course I do get up for anybody that needs it) but otherwise I just stand near the doors in a corner.

Bikes are not permitted unless they're the folding kind and inside a bag of certain dimensions.

It's actually prohibited to place luggage or shopping on a seat, or to bring "excessive amounts of luggage" onto the tram.

 

[jastel]

Its prohibited to put bags on seats on trains as well, doesnt seem to stop anyone doing it...just me, my samsonite, backpack and jacket and emotional support waterbottle taking up 4 seats.

It does totally depend on the time of day but as to how crowded it is...it works sometimes.

Yes the Tram travel times are quite long and slow, the M1 will be popular for a while yet.