Gold Coast heavy rail upgrade set to double frequency of rail services to and from Brisbane
Public transport projects are taking centre stage in the lead up to the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast.
A $163 million project to duplicate the Coomera to Helensvale rail line starts in the next few weeks and includes the construction of eight bridges, one of which will span 860 metres across the Coomera River, the Queensland Government announced recently.
Queensland minister for transport and Commonwealth Games Stirling Hinchliffe is confident the project will have a significant and positive impact by allowing twice as many trains to run between the Gold Coast and Brisbane.
“This upgrade is a gold medal project for the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games and will deliver 8.2 kilometres of new rail track between Coomera and Helensvale stations, new overhead power lines and signalling systems, and eight new rail bridges,” he says.
Bus is expected to play a key role in transporting people to the actual Commonwealth Games Village and more will be known regarding the role of individual bus operators, once the wider contract for event management has been awarded later this year.
The G:link tram will also be integral in moving people during the Commonwealth Games and an expansion of its reach is another major project in the pipeline.
With rail construction scheduled to kick off in March, the Queensland Government hosted a series of workshops to ensure residents who live near the rail corridor are well-informed and understand the benefits to public transport users recently.
“Public transport will play a large role in the success of the Commonwealth Games and this duplication will deliver the additional track capacity required to increase peak hour services on the Gold Coast line by more than 33 per cent,” Hinchliffe says.
“This project is a permanent investment in public transport for the rapidly expanding Gold Coast region and will deliver the capacity needed to double the number of trains travelling to the Gold Coast in morning peak and back to Brisbane in afternoon peak.”
The Coomera to Helensvale Heavy Rail Duplication Project is expected to be finished in late 2017.
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