Reading signals on tram’s future route
BEHIND the light rail funding row that has become a big focus of the federal election on the Gold Coast, there is the detail of the $740 million project itself.
For residents, there are questions about how this major transport infrastructure project will impact on their beachside suburbs.
Councillors this week held a long discussion behind closed doors on the city’s business case for Stage 3A before agreeing to send off a confidential funding offer to the State Government.
What was presented in open session provided some signals.
Council transport and infrastructure director Alton Twine put up a slide show that contained some key facts.
Stage 3A is from the existing Broadbeach South station along the Gold Coast Hwy to Burleigh. The next stage after that – Stage 3B – is yet to be investigated.
Once 3A is locked in, the city’s next big conversation is about whether the trams should go south along the Gold Coast Hwy or west from Burleigh, heading out to the M1 and following the railway corridor to the border.
A slide of a Gold Coast light rail corridor map showed a 42km line extended from Helensvale to Broadbeach to Burleigh and along the highway to Coolangatta. This was the first real, hard evidence of the tram’s future route.
The heavy rail line extended south from Varsity Lakes to Elanora, Tugun and the Gold Coast Airport.
So residents living between Burleigh and Palm Beach – and there are many campaigning against light rail – should prepare for trams outside their doors.
Spur lines are to be built west from Pacific Ave and West Burleigh Rd. This is similar to the short track fronting Gold Coast University Hospital to link to Harbour Town.
The slide show noted kerbside parking would be retained where possible on the route south from Broadbeach to Burleigh.
“However, where the Gold Coast Hwy is too narrow to accommodate the light rail tracks, stations and vehicle traffic lanes, some on-street parking will be removed,” the notes said.
Stage 3A would require eight new stations, five new trams, more signalised intersections and landscaping. Expect much the same with Stage 3B.
The notes revealed a
30 per cent uplift in property prices around the existing stations.
An aerial photograph showed the digging up of central Surfers Paradise for Stage 1. Consultation found residents did not want a repeat of this disruption.
A “construction contractor’’ would provide “practical support” for the community and businesses.
Not included in the slides was a Gold Coast light rail 3A urban corridor map, recently included in a council agenda. This showed where the most intense building would occur.
Where highrise exists now, there would be bigger towers in the future – at Broadbeach South, either side of the highway south from Miami, and the beach strip at Burleigh. The impact on the western side would touch on the suburbs a few blocks back, but recreational reserves would remain protected.
Only light rail supporter Dawn Crichlow asked a question – about kiosks at future stations, aware the commercial venture failed when the trams first went through Southport.
“I just don’t think they should have any more kiosks. That was the fatal mistake,” she said.
The reason they failed? Fairly simple. Patrons cannot eat or drink on trams.