Transport plan a true turn-on
Amap doing the rounds on social media is like public transportation porn. So graphic, so stimulating … and I’ve looked at it so much I might go blind. The topological map designed to explore the future of rail for the Gold Coast and Northern Rivers was shared on the socials and commenters across the southeast went wild.
Now, just as with many an X-rated model, the map may not be entirely realistic. But it certainly is stimulating.
It was inspiring to not only see the potential of a fully realised public transportation network, but also to see the overwhelming support from the online community.
The map, designed and posted by local Benjamin Wearing, detailed the current and projected route of both existing heavy rail and the G:Link light rail, but proposed new lines as well, including a GC Central rapid line from Coomera to Varsity Lakes and stopping at central destinations such as Labrador, Ashmore, Bundall and more.
Mr Wearing’s map also suggested G:Link spur lines running east to west with a central stop in between, such as Surfers Paradise through Bundall to Nerang, as well as a new North Coast line to run from the Gold Coast Airport through Tweed to Kingscliff, Cabarita and down south to Byron Bay, Lismore and Casino.
There’s even a high speed rail line from Brisbane to Sydney.
However, as Mr Wearing himself commented, everything on this map, other than the line running through northern NSW and the GC Central line, have already been constructed, are currently under construction, or under investigation by government.
In fact, the Gold Coast Indicative Frequent Public Transport Network 2041, released in the 2021 Regional Transport Plan, was not dissimilar to Mr Wearing’s design.
Of course, some of the routes shown in both maps that are currently “under investigation” have been stalled at that stage for more than a decade … but I guess that at least means it’s not a dead end yet.
Instead, let’s use this as motivation to get moving on the next stage.
“I’m just really interested in public transport and I realised I had never seen a map of what the Coast could look like with good public transport, and what a rail system in the Northern Rivers would look like, so I made my own,” said Mr Wearing.
“I used to use the light rail from the park’n’ride to get to uni, I recently finished studying software engineering and am hoping to get a job in some sort of transport-adjacent engineering.
“(Light rail is) one of the best examples of how better public transport can be introduced to areas without existing rail infrastructure. The high frequency of the system all day was what made it work.”
While some commenters mentioned the map did not cater for our stadiums, that could easily be remedied. Others mentioned that the map did not use buses, but a transport planner retorted, “Trust me, if I was a dictator we’d have light rail everywhere. It’s completely achievable from a technical POV”.
As for funding and feasibility … well, that’s beyond my pay grade.
Regardless of practicality, the map’s greatest worth is simply in showing our public transportation potential, which was precisely why Mr Wearing created it.
“I thought the central line would be a good way to get traffic off the Southport-Burleigh Rd corridor and maybe some off Nerang-Broadbeach Rd, and this would allow for people to basically never drive on the coast north of Burleigh as far as I can see,” he said.
“It would be awesome to see a (high speed rail) express line for the GC while also providing access to Brisbane.”
No matter what the final public transportation plan might be, the light and heavy rail we have now should only be the beginning.
And should we end up with a network as comprehensive as that pictured?
Well, that’s what I call a happy ending.
When a topological map designed to explore the future of rail for the Gold Coast and Northern Rivers was shared on social media, commenters across the South East went wild.