Gold Coast light rail launch coincides with railway track maintenance
IT’S the event two years in the making, but something else that has been in the works could derail the grand launch of the light rail’s second stage.
Gold Coast
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IT was to be the grand unveiling of the first rail connection from Brisbane all the way to the Gold Coast coastline since the 1960s, but a bureaucratic bungle will put day-trippers on buses.
Track maintenance will close heavy rail between Beenleigh and Varsity Lakes tomorrow as the first passengers step onto the second stage of the light rail through to Helensvale, where passengers are supposed to be able to step off a tram and on to a train, and vice versa.
A spokeswoman for Transport Minister Jackie Trad said the maintenance had been planned for over a year.
But she declined to comment on whether it would have an impact on the number of first-time riders, or the number of day-trippers from Brisbane, on the light rail’s free travel day.
THE $1 BILLION OF WORK LIGHT RAIL WILL UNLOCK
Gold Coast Bulletin readers reacted with disbelief on social media, with Karen Barnett Baker posting, “no wonder it’s free travel this weekend when there isn’t any”.
Others expressed concerns about how maintenance would affect transport during the Commonwealth Games, another question the government did not answer.
Despite the debacle, prominent Gold Coast business identities say they aren’t fazed.
Gold Coast North Chamber of Commerce president Gary Mays said he did not see the railway line closure being a problem.
WHERE THE LIGHT RAIL WILL BE GOING NEXT
“It (the light rail) is going to open up the Gold Coast so much, I don’t think people truly realise the impact it will have,” he said.
“Public transport is what makes a city — take a look at Melbourne.
“A day of scheduled maintenance shouldn’t make a difference.”
A TransLink spokesman said rail replacement bus services would operate between Beenleigh and Varsity Lakes train stations, ensuring passengers could still travel between Brisbane and the Gold Coast for the light rail open day.
“Gold Coast residents will be able to reap the full benefits of their new integrated public transport system, with light and heavy rail connecting at Helensvale station from Monday,” he said. NEW LIGHT RAIL BRIDGE UNDER CONSTRUCTION
GoldlinQ has planned for 10,000 to 20,000 additional passengers to ride for free on the extended light rail system, which will start at 5am.
The official opening of stage two light rail was brought forward by more than a fortnight.
Compounding the problem is the start date of a new bus route, which is to take light rail passengers from Helensvale to the theme parks.
It was to coincide with the launch of light rail stage two, but with the trams having an early start date, the services will not coincide. The planned buses will not start running until January 8.
A TransLink spokesman said improvements to bus services including the TX7 bus to the theme parks, would go live in early 2018 “as originally planned”.
“This ensures there is enough time to undertake a full communications campaign to let passengers know about changes to their bus services,” he said.
Originally published as Gold Coast light rail launch coincides with railway track maintenance
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