Gold Coast light rail: the push to extend night services north

A push is on to get rid of a major gap in the Gold Coast’s light rail service amid claims it is leaving some passengers stranded.

A PUSH is on to extend light rail trips between the Gold Coast’s northern suburbs and the Glitter Strip of Surfers Paradise after the line goes dead from about midnight.

Bonney MP Sam O’Connor has called for a trial during the peak summer holiday season to boost services from Gold Coast University Hospital station to Helensvale.

The G-Link train at Helensvale station. Picture John Gass

In a Question on Notice to Transport Minister Mark Bailey in June, Mr O’Connor asked whether the department was monitoring the network’s demands on stage 2 after 11pm.

Mr O’Connor yesterday told the Bulletin the Government refused to budge, citing low patronage and costs.

“I would support a trial (of extended services),” he said. “The Government is basing their decision on monitoring a few people getting off at the university stop.

“Why would you catch it when it’s going just to the hospital? You would get an Uber home.”

Under the current timetable, weekly services stop at the university station at midnight with the last tram on weekends at 1.45am. Stage 1 continues with 30-minute services into the early hours of the morning.

Mr O’Connor said he had been approached by university students, hospital workers and carers about being stranded and forced to walk to Parkwood station to collect their vehicles parked earlier in the day.

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Mr O’Connor believed providing a similar timetable on Stage 2 to Stage 1 would benefit Surfers Paradise and Broadbeach restaurants as diners from Parkwood, Arundel and Helensvale would extend their visits.

He said university students had told him it was “scary” walking home.

Mr Bailey said Transport and Main Roads (TMR) would continue to monitor patronage but a review showed the current timetable was very successful with light rail recording an estimated 10.88 million trips in the 2018–19, an increase of 1.39 million trips compared to 2017–18.

A departmental review was conducted between July 2018 to May 2019 on Gold Coast University Hospital, Parkwood East, Parkwood and Helensvale stations.

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The G: Link train at the Helensvale train station. Picture John Gass

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“The review indicated an average of four customers per tram alight on Friday night and six customers per tram alight on Saturday night after 11pm at the GCUH station,” Mr Bailey said.

“TMR has reviewed the span of hours of the light rail, and current patronage indicates there is insufficient demand to warrant the additional investment required for increased late night services beyond GCUH.”