Light rail stage four scrapped: Political and business leaders give their reaction
Mayor Tom Tate is among several prominent Gold Coasters disappointed by the axing of light rail stage four, but suggested the money saved by the state should go towards another major project. READ THE LATEST REACTION
Gold Coast civic and business leaders have responded with disappointment and fury at the state government’s decision to dump light rail stage four.
While many concede the move by the LNP government wasn’t a surprise after putting the project under review, they argue it will set the city back years.
TATE: PUT MONEY SAVED ON TRAMS INTO HEAVY RAIL
Mayor Tom Tate said he was disappointed by the state government’s decision to scrap light rail stage four and questioned their $10 billion price tag for the project.
But he said he believes the savings allow for a heavy rail connection to the airport to be considered.
“I’m have to voice my disappointment that the decision has come this way, I can’t find full detail of that because I’m awaiting those studies and statistics,” he said.
“Even the price of $9.85 billion, I’d like to see the estimates on how that figure came about.”
Council has estimated the cost of light rail stage four would have been $5b.
“That figure (of $9.85 billion) is way off from an engineering point of view. Are the tracks gold plated. I’m sure I could get a lot of people building it for a lot less,” the Mayor said.
He said the Gold Coast had been on the light rail journey since 2009 and it remained his view that it was still “the one project” despite now becoming truncated.
“Other solutions have to be found. I leave it to the State Government to find that solution for Gold Coasters to get to the airport at Coolangatta,” he said.
Asked if light rail would one day have to be built to cope with traffic congestion on the southern Gold Coast, he said it was the optimum solution.
“I think that will happen one day. But that day is not today,” he said.
Mr Tate acknowledged that previous studies showed that between 2000 and 2500 buses would be needed to transport officials, players and fans during the 2032 Olympics.
“I don’t know where they are getting it (the buses) from, but that’s up to the State Government at this stage,” he said.
Mr Tate confirmed he was would seeking assurances that the Burleigh Bowls Club would remain intact along with other facilities given a new bus-tram interchange would be needed.
“Absolutely. That’s why the decision today leaves me with a lot more questions than answers,” he said.
Mr Tate said other questions, after the Government’s announcement, included where to place a park and ride, and how to accommodate people on buses when trams had much more spaces and arrived at stations within seven minute intervals.
“It can be done. Is it going to be efficient? Will people be waiting for a second round of buses?” he said.
Mr Tate said the Government, by saving on light rail, should reconsider the heavy rail connection to the airport.
“Why not put money into heavy rail, get that connected to the airport, to take some load off there,” he said.
Mr Tate said the lifestyle for Palm Beach residents would be diminished, because they would have double the wait to get from their homes onto the Gold Coast Highway.
MILES: IT’S A BAD DAY FOR GOLD COAST
Opposition leader Steven Miles described it as a “disappointing day for the Gold Coast” which was a “big and important city” and tourism gateway to Queensland to be showcased during the 2032 Olympics.
“It marks the end of that vision for the Gold Coast being a truly connected city. It is a bad decision that condemns one our biggest cities to a half finished public transport network,” he said.
“It condemns the population of the Gold Coast, more than a million people, to sitting in a traffic jam each and every day with no real alternative.”
He said tourists would collect their bags at Gold Coast Airport at Coolangatta and then have to get off a bus at the new “Burleigh bus depot”.
“As if anyone is going to do that. Buses are not a solution,” Mr Miles said.
Opposition deputy leader Cameron Dick described the decision as an “LNP train wreck”.
“Beautiful Burleigh Heads. Beautiful one day, Queensland’s biggest bus stop the next. Thanks to the Member for Bus Depots, Hermann Vorster, Burleigh Heads will become one big transit lounge,” he said.
“The people of the Gold Coast will get a second rate public transport outcome. This will be David Crisafulli’s so-called generational infrastructure legacy for the city he purports to represent.”
EVANS: WE NEED MORE DETAIL
Queensland Airports CEO Amelia Evans said she was eager to learn more about the state government’s plans for improving public transport.
Both light and heavy rail stations were part of the Gold Coast Airport’s recently approved masterplan, but the state government’s announcement will force it back to the drawing board.
“While we are disappointed by the cancellation of the light rail stage four project, we will await further detail and timelines on the government’s proposed enhanced bus services and multi-modal transport study,” she said.
“Seamless, sustainable and accessible transport between the airport and wider city is critical to meet the demands of the Gold Coast’s rapidly growing population.
“Legacy infrastructure that stands the test of time is vital to ensure our city continues to thrive for both residents and visitors alike.”
YOUNGER: DECISION DOES NOT MAKE SENSE
Gold Coast Central Chamber of Commerce president Laura Younger blasted the state government’s termination of light rail, saying it “beggars belief”.
Ms Younger, who has long backed the tram network, said the government had made the wrong decision.
“I’m incredibly disappointed and I would certainly not want to be known as the government that destroyed transport for the city of the Gold Coast,” she said.
“Like everyone else, I find it hard to believe that we are looking at this because of the views of a small section of the Gold Coast rather than the whole of the city.
“It beggars belief that the government would stop it just because a very small number of Gold Coast residents don’t approve, so now people will be flying into the airport and, facing two modes of transport, they will just get a car instead.
“It just does not make sense.”
GARRETT: SAD NEWS FOR THE SOUTHERN GOLD COAST
Prominent Coolangatta lawyer Jeff Garrett said the southern Gold Coast now faces years of disruption for no pay-off with the light rail extension scrapped.
Significant and long-overdue underground infrastructure improvements have been done during each stage of the tram network’s construction, something which will still need to be done along the planned stage four route in coming years.
The Attwood Marshall legal practice director said the decision was “incredibly disappointing” but unsurprising, “given the grandstanding which went on after the election”.
“We have to live with this decision now for at least the next four years but the terrible thing is that it is going to delay everything and put us out of whack in terms of getting (infrastructure upgrades) done.
“This is sad news for the southern Gold Coast, particularly Coolangatta, and I am just really disappointed because it is so short on foresight.
“The government has bought into the opposition of the residents on the proposed line and that is a very shallow view of things and it does not make sense to build it to Burleigh and stop.
“They are still going to have to do the upgrades of the underground infrastructure, so we will still have the disruption.
“They should have just bit the bullet and done it, but yet again politics has intervened and stopped a good thing.”
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