Rail crucial to catering for growth
BUSINESS and city leaders are calling on the State Government to prioritise the extension of the heavy rail line to Gold Coast Airport.
The line, which ends at Varsity Lakes, has not seen been extended in nearly a decade.
Gold Coast Airport boss Chris Mills and Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate say both the light and heavy transport networks are needed to deal with the city’s growing population.
Mr Mills said the airport’s masterplan included both a light and heavy rail station.
“Gold Coast Airport currently handles more than 6.5 million passengers per annum, and passenger movements are expected to climb to 16.6 million annually in 20 years. So improved transport links to the airport are central to our future development plans.
“In terms of visitors to the region, prioritising light rail makes the most sense — it’s about allowing people to get to their accommodation, typically along the coastline, as quickly and efficiently as possible.
“In the medium-to-longer term, heavy rail to the southern end of the city also needs to be planned, particularly for the increasing Gold Coast population living to the west.”
Cr Tate urged the state to invest further in the rail network.
“(The heavy rail extension) has stalled but they should plan for both (light and heavy) rails.”
The Varsity Lakes line opened in late 2009 and was the most recent addition to the Gold Coast line, which was established in the 1990s to replace the original railway which was scrapped in the 1960s.
Gaven MP Meaghan Scanlon said a rail corridor south of Varsity Lakes had been preserved since 2009 in anticipation of an eventual extension.
The timing of the extension of the heavy rail from Varsity Lakes to the Gold Coast Airport is subject to funding and competing statewide priorities.
Three heavy rail stations are planned for the line at Pimpama, Helensvale North and Worongary as part of the State Government’s Cross River Rail project.
However, 55 per cent of respondents to the Bulletin’s Golden Age survey did not believe the stations were necessary.