Golden age: Gold Coast drivers say they would take the train instead of driving on the M1 if fares were cheaper

WHAT will make Gold Coasters get out of their car, avoid the congested M1 and take a rail trip to Brisbane — A major survey has revealed why our drivers won’t take the train but what would make them change their ways.

AN overwhelming number of Gold Coast commuters say they want to ditch the M1 and take the train to Brisbane, but it is too expensive.

Three quarters of respondents to the Gold Coast Bulletin’s Golden Age survey considered the heavy rail fare to the state capital unaffordable, compared to putting petrol in their cars.

The cost to get to Brisbane Central from Southport tram station is $10.47 a trip or $104.70 on Go card for a five-day week.

The trip takes one hour and 44 minutes each way.

By comparison, the return journeys from Sydney to Newcastle and Sydney to Wollongong are three quarters the price at a capped $15.40.

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Peak hour morning traffic on the M1. Picture Glenn Hampson

About 77 per cent of readers who responded to the Golden Age survey said they would ride the train to Brisbane if the return fare was dropped to $10.

Rail Back on Track spokesman Robert Dow said the public transport lobby group wanted the State Government to introduce a fare freeze in next week’s budget.

Surveys of their own members suggested a long-term halt on rail fare hikes in southeast Queensland would not hinder the budget bottom line and enable pricing to become reasonable again.

“We think it’s the best way, for two or three years to have the freeze. We think it would bring it back to a pricing level that’s fair and reasonable,” Mr Dow said.

Northern regional centres like Townsville and Mackay enjoyed a more reasonable pricing for public transport which had been linked to CPI increases, he said.

After the recent duplication of the line from Coomera to Helensvale, Mr Dow said the express rail service from the Coast to Beenleigh was adequate with trains able to reach speeds of up to 160km/h.

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More Gold Coasters would catch the train if it was cheaper. Photographer: Liam Kidston.

But he said the government needed to spend money on improving the line north of Park Road as part of the Cross River Rail project if the trip was to be considered an express service.

“It could end up on the M1 corridor or part of an elevated railway that joins the existing line from Beenleigh,” Mr Dow said.

“I think that as the M1 gets worse, people will realise that rail is a better option.”

The Gold Coast Bulletin yesterday reported 79 per cent of survey respondents considered the M1 a “bad or very bad road” and 56 per cent feared for their safety on exit ramps.

A statewide transport behaviour survey conducted by the RACQ shows the Gold Coast leads the way in car use with 75.5 per cent of residents commuting by vehicle, followed by 70.7 per cent on the Sunshine Coast and 69.9 per cent in Logan.

After analysing positive and negatives from respondents, RACQ found commuter sentiment was lowest in Logan, the Moreton Bay region and the Coast.

About 30 per cent of Coast residents described their commute as “frustrating” and 28.9 per cent thought it was “long”. Most spend 40 minutes in their car.

Asked why they avoided public transport, more than half of Coast commuters blamed a lack of service or poor time tabling.

RACQ head of public policy Rebecca Michael said the government in December last year had slashed public transport fares by an average of 45 cents per trip, but it was not enough for many commuters.

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Traffic gets busy on the M1 at Upper Coomera by 4.30am as tradies head off to work. Picture Glenn Hampson

“While we welcome those cheaper fares because they made public transport more affordable and fair, we understand that many people aren’t willing to pay for a service they believe is unreliable,” Ms Michael said.

“In our Transport Behaviour Survey respondents overwhelming described their commute as frustrating and long, showing whether the trip is taken behind the wheel or on public transport Gold Coast residents say it’s not up to scratch.”

The high number of Coast commuters use the car to get to work showing the need for second M1 to help bust congestion, Ms Michael said.

“Looking towards the future, more and more Gold Coast residents will look to alternative transport options, so services like the train line need to be reliable and convenient otherwise frustrated commuters will be forced to return to their cars and congestion will escalate,” Ms Michael said.