PASSENGERS ON TRACK

STAGE one of the Gold Coast light rail system has been enormously successful, despite a transport expert’s paper saying it has failed to make a dent in road congestion.

The fact the stage one route runs from Broadbeach to the Gold Coast University Hospital and Griffith University is a huge clue why many passengers have simply migrated from buses to trams.

A significant proportion of them are students who either live along the route or, because of a lack of parking or the prohibitive cost of parking in the university area, drive to Broadbeach and hop on a tram, or park at the back of Southport and use a tram to complete the journey. Previously they used buses. Indeed they like the trams more, since light rail offers greater frequency – one rumbles along every seven minutes – and university staff have told the Bulletin of instances in the past when students would be left waiting at bus stops on their way to class because buses were full and could not take any more passengers, particularly at peak times.

The trams have also proved to be a big attraction for tourists.

These two elements of the public transport demographic were always going to comprise a large proportion of stage one passengers.

As reported today, the consultant’s paper says stage two to Helensvale will provide some boost to patronage.

Linking with heavy rail, it will be an important people mover for the Commonwealth Games. That should kickstart the heavy-light rail service as a viable option for transport from Brisbane and the Gold Coast’s outlying northern suburbs, providing a reliable method of reaching the tourist and business hubs after leaving the train.

The huge success will come as the light rail extends south and as transport authorities come up with smarter ways to integrate buses and trams to build an east-west network to complement the light rail’s north-south route.

That is when thousands of Gold Coast commuters will see the value in time and convenience in leaving their cars at home.