Gold Coast Light Rail Stage 3A: Federal Coalition signs off on $112m for Broadbeach to Burleigh trams
MORE than $112 million will be poured into funding the Gold Coast light rail extension from Broadbeach to Burleigh Heads according to an explosive budget leak which will likely signal the project’s fast-tracking.
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MORE than $112 million will be poured into funding the Gold Coast light rail extension from Broadbeach to Burleigh Heads according to an explosive budget leak.
Documents leaked to News Corp have revealed the $660 million light rail stage 3A will receive federal funding under a $7.6 billion roads and infrastructure election plan developed by the Coalition.
The tram extension, which will run down the Gold Coast Highway, is fully funded from the Commonwealth and will now await funding from the State Government and Gold Coast City Council.
City hall is expected to fund $66 million of the project, with the state to pick up the bulk of the cost.
Construction could begin as early as next year and be completed by 2021.
The trip down the highway is expected to take just 16 minutes.
The infrastructure plan was signed off by former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull before he lost office last month’s shock coup.
The funds will be committed in next year’s federal budget, due weeks before the next federal election is due.
The leak of budget data came just days after Scott Morrison was sworn in as Prime Minister.
The light rail extension is the only Gold Coast project included in the budget plan.
The State Government is in the final stages of developing the business case for the light rail and began community consultation meetings last month.
The new link will have eight stations.
Theses include Mermaid Beach, which will be built at the intersection of Gold Coast Hwy and Montana Road and Mermaid Beach south at the intersection of Tamborine Street.
The Nobby Beach station will sit south of Albicore St, near the area’s food and drink hub while Miami north station will be near Miami High, just south of Paradise Ave.
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The Miami station will be north of Hythe St while Christine Ave station will be just south of Mountain View Ave while Second Ave station will be near the road of the same name.
The tram system will terminate at Burleigh Heads station just south of Goodwin Terrace near Burleigh Bowls Club.
The trams are more popular than ever, according to new data released in late July.
The number of people using the trams increased 33 per cent between December 2017 and July.
More than 51,000 extra passenger trips were recorded on the tram system since stage 2 came online in December.
More than 5.2 million trips were taking on the light rail in the six months after trams began running to Helensvale.
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