Gold Coast light rail Stage 3A: Broadbeach to Burleigh extension deal ‘by Christmas’

A funding deal to extend the light rail from Broadbeach to Burleigh will be signed by Christmas, with city leaders turning their attention to the Gold Coast Airport link.

A FUNDING deal to extend the light rail from Broadbeach to Burleigh will be signed by Christmas, Mayor Tom Tate says.

The 6.6km tram link has been on ice for nearly a year after a funding dispute between the State and Federal governments.

But following a meeting this week with State Transport Minister Mark Bailey, Cr Tate said he believed a deal was imminent, meaning construction would start early next year.

The tram extension has been delayed.

“If I was a betting man, I would say yes,” he said.
“I can’t go into specifics but all I can say is that I am looking forward to doing more major infrastructure with the State Government.

“I said to (Mr Bailey) we should use the 2032 southeast Queensland Olympics bid to bring the Federal Government early to the table to get approvals.

“In my head, stage 3A is done and dusted so now we have to go all the way to the airport.”

Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate says a deal will be done by Christmas

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His optimism yesterday came three months after the city council threw its weight behind the southeast Queensland Olympic bid.

Although the council will not directly put funds towards the bid, it is offering city-controlled sporting infrastructure built for the Commonwealth Games for use as Olympic venues.

A decision is expected to be made by the International Olympic Committee late next year.

Cr Tate said he and Mr Bailey also discussed the Federal Government’s mooted extension of the heavy rail to Gold Coast Airport and the creation of a fast-train link to Brisbane.

“We talked about very fast trains. It will help the M1 congestion because if you can get to

Brisbane in 20 minutes versus an hour and a half in the car, you’re not going to take your car are you?

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Attention will soon turn to heavy rail.

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“It is how it is done in other major cities.”

A high-speed train network championed by the Federal Government in the lead-up to this year’s election would operate at 160km/h compared to an existing average of 69km/h – more than halving the trip time.