BNE to CBD & Gold Coast by Train

[Leumas]

I have a trip to BNE coming up, but I found out I need to go to the Gold Coast as well. I'm trying to figure what is the best way both in terms of costs and time if I do this by train. I've had a look at the AirTrain site, it just confuses me...

This is the closest I can find:

Brisbane's Airtrain - Frequently Asked Questions

Will this cost anymore? With that, I assume I can't buy it online...?

I arrive into BNE, should I get a return ticket for the GC? To me, the FAQ (link above) reads I effectively get one free stopover in the CBD?

Ideally, I want to do this:

BNE - CBD - GC - CBD - BNE

If not, BNE - GC - CBD - BNE is OK too.

Should I just buy a series of one-way tickets?

 

[serfty]

Q :

I am travelling from the Airport to the Gold Coast, but I want to have a stopover in Brisbane. What do I need to do?
​

A :

When buying your tickets at the airport, simply advise the Airtrain ticketing staff that you will have a "break of journey". In this instance we will issue you with an additional set of tickets, as QR ticket staff in the city will collect your original tickets when you exit the station. The additional set will allow you to board another train and continue to the coast at a later time.​

There is no mention of whether it will cost any more.

 

[Mal]

There are 2 different ticketing systems for Airtrain. The first are prepaid type vouchers which are valid from Airport-City/City-Airport stations, and the second piggybacks off the Public Transport ticketing system and are valid to/from all stations.

I'm not sure if the "return" ticket mentioned can have a "stopover in Brisbane" both ways, but either way, it isn't priced as keenly as it should be:

The Airtrain has a pricing discrepancy where tickets to/from stations further than the Brisbane CBD actually cost more than the tickets to the CBD+ticket from the CBD. It's because the Airtrain prices don't fully align with the Translink ticket costs.

So to save around $5-$10 (might be a bit less if you can purchase a return online). Purchase a return ticket from online/at the Brisbane Airport Window to Brisbane CBD, then purchase single tickets from Brisbane City to Gold Coast, and Gold Coast to Brisbane City as required.

If doing this on the way down to the Gold Coast, you'd need to break the journey at either Bowen Hills, Fortitude Valley, Central Station, Roma Street or South Brisbane stations to purchase your new ticket. As most Gold Coast trains are actually the same train as the Airtrain, this could mean waiting 30-60 mins in the Brisbane CBD for the next train.

When purchasing a return at the airport, they should give you a standard ticket for that journey+one of the prepaid vouchers for the return journey. So you should be able to use your paid ticket bought at the Gold Coast to central, then your pre-paid ticket from Central back to the Airport. (If catching the same train this should be allowed under Translink rules, but probably you're supposed to technically leave the ticket gate and return to properly break the journey)

Complex? Yes. The Airtrain is an oddity of it's own creation.

 

[mushypeas]

I think the most important question is: Where on the Gold Coast are you required to be? (It's actually quite large and unfortunately the train does not service the entire area) so it's likely you'll need a bus/train etc.

If it were me, I'd personally hire a car... much quicker, convenient and likely to be cost efficient...

 

[docjames]

I'd definitely hire the car - the extra cost is ouotweighed by the convenience at both ends.