Light rail key to city future – and speed now crucial

THE light rail must get through. But not only must it get south and then probably inland too and further north to places like Harbour Town, but it must do it as quickly as possible. The time of debating whether it is an ideal part of the public transport fabric of this city and its coastal spine is over.

Now it is about where else can it get to, how far south and when by.

In the lead up to the Commonwealth Games of April, 2018, the Bulletin proudly and boldly backed the campaign to ensure it reached Helensvale linking up with heavy rail between the Gold Coast and Brisbane before the Games started.

A similar scenario has emerged now 10 years out from the southeast Queensland Olympics.

Real fears have been expressed by everyone from the Mayor Tom Tate, his deputy Donna Gates and city planning chair councillor Cameron Caldwell to GoldLinQ CEO Phil Mumford that the light rail may not be progressing fast enough to ensure connectivity to the city’s airport before the Games.

That is a scenario that Mr Mumford has dubbed “ridiculous".

The Bulletin agrees. All the stops must be pulled out to ensure the trams connect all the way south by then.

Mayor Tom Tate has sensed the urgency and demanded help from Federal Government to do so as the Bulletin’s Future Gold Coast campaign kicks off.

The light rail extension and a seamless transition from the completion to the stage to Burleigh to the start of construction from the BurleighCoolangatta line is a must for the city’s future prosperity. This place is too popular with accelerated population forecasts not to have this kind of connectivity available for the influx.