Investment in rail extension given thumbs up

ANDREW POTTS, BRIANNA MORRIS-GRANT, ANDREW MCKAYSMITH AND KYLE WISNIEWSKI

SOUTHERN Gold Coast residents have welcomed a $10 million funding boost to extending the light rail towards the border.

The Gold Coast City Council has committed $8.9 million to the completion of the Broadbeach to Burleigh Stage 3 link, which began construction last month.

Yesterday’s budget contained $1.7 million also towards the planning of Stage 4, which will run from Burleigh Heads to Coolangatta, stopping at Gold Coast Airport.

Mayor Tom Tate said he hoped this funding, the first to go towards the billion-dollar project, would be matched by the State Government this year, allowing construction to begin once Stage 3 is completed.

“We are ready to go, it’s in our budget – I will await the Premier to announce when she is ready to go,” he said.

Construction of Stage 3 is under way and is expected to be completed in 2023, a date commuters say cannot come soon enough.

“It can’t get here fast enough,” said Jo Drake yesterday. “Because I live at Mermaid Waters I have to get a bus or a lift to Broadbeach South station to then get to work. It’s great because its one light rail trip for me rather than rail and bus.”

Surfers Paradise resident Clint Curry welcomed the news, saying the project would help the economy in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Division 14 councillor Gail O’Neill yesterday celebrated the “long-awaited” extension down to the city’s southernmost suburbs.

“When I ran my first election in 2016 I got an overwhelming answer from anyone I spoke to about light rail,” she said. “The answer was: ‘we want to be connected to the rest of the Gold Coast’.

“I’m over the moon, I’m absolutely over the moon because it’s been a long time coming. I think it will help our businesses. I’m really happy,” she said.

The fourth stage of the tram system will require state and federal funding, both of which are expected to follow the completion of a business case.

Burleigh Heads resident Lesley Hughes said she was excited about the extension.

“I’ve always been happy about the plan for the light rail into Burleigh, I’m pleased it’ll go ahead,” she said.

“It’s going to make things more convenient and the light rail service is great.”

But not everyone is happy. Burleigh resident Leo Harris said he was not in favour of trams.

“I think it’s going to be an eyesore by seeing what the light rail has done to the rest of the Coast,” he said.