Untitled Document

Background

The Benefits of Improved Public Transport

About the Study

PPK Environment & Infrastructure (a Parsons Brinckerhoff company) has been commissioned to conduct the feasibility study. The study is investigating the feasibility of an improved public transport system and confirming light rail as the preferred mode to serve the coastal fringe of the Gold Coast.

The study will focus on:

confirming whether light rail is the preferred public transport mode to service the future Gold Coast travel demand;
assessing the need for light rail and the likely usage of the system;
the feasibility of the project in technical, operational, social, environmental and financial terms;
the best route and station locations;
staging of the system and possible longer term network options;
potential impacts; and
the potential for private sector involvement in the project.

A key outcome of the study will be a staging plan for the proposed public transport system and the optimal length of the first stage of the network.

The Gold Coast Light Rail Feasibility Study is jointly funded by the Queensland and Commonwealth Governments. Queensland Transport (QT) and Gold Coast City Council (GCCC) will jointly manage the study, which is expected to take about 18 months to complete.

Study Process

The Gold Coast Light Rail Feasibility Study will be undertaken in four stages to maximise community participation:

Stage 1	Needs Assessment
	Stage 1 will investigate the need for an improved public transport system and will identify the preferred technology (mode) for this system.
Stage 2	Option Development
	Stage 2 will investigate route options for the system and will short-list preferred alignment and stop location options.
Stage 3	Option Evaluation
	Stage 3 will evaluate the short-listed route and stop location options developed in Stage 2 and will identify a preferred option.
Stage 4	Financial Assessment and Review of Environmental Factors
	Stage 4 will involve a detailed economic and financial assessment of the preferred option, a review of environmental factors (including social, environmental and cultural factors), performance requirements for the system and an implementation plan.

Growing Transport Needs

The Gold Coast is growing rapidly with more people moving to Gold Coast City than any other local government area in South East Queensland. As a result, the Gold Coast will need to support an additional 73,000 residents between 2000 and 2007. This will result in an additional 470,000 trips per day, an increase of almost 30%. Of the 1.65 million trips currently made per day in the Gold Coast area, only 15%, or 250,000, are work related trips. The remaining 1.4 million trips are made up of education, tourism and other trip purposes, many of which are made outside peak periods.

The greatest trip movements will be in the corridors between Helensvale, Southport and Coolangatta, along the Gold Coast and Pacific Highways, and from Nerang and Robina to the coastline.

This growth will have significant implications for travel in the area, with the potential for growing road congestion, longer travel times and adverse tourism, environmental, social and economic impacts.

The story so far...

The Queensland Government's Integrated Regional Transport Plan (IRTP) for South - East Queensland proposes investigations of strategic transport corridors. Specifically for the Gold Coast, the IRTP recommended the investigation of light rail or busways from Southport to Coolangatta. A pre-feasibility study of public transport options was jointly undertaken by Queensland Transport (QT) and Gold Coast City Council (GCCC) as part of the development of the Gold Coast City Transport Plan (CTP) in 1998. This study recommended further investigation of a light rail system between Southport and Broadbeach. More detailed analysis was recommended to confirm this as the priority initial stage of a Gold Coast light rail system based on predicted passenger demand, construction costs, impacts and benefits.

The benefits of improved public transport

Traffic congestion is growing rapidly on the Gold Coast with increasing population and tourist numbers.

Better public transport provides a sustainable solution to this growing congestion by:

providing greater travel time reliability as well as reduced travel times for locals and visitors;
enhancing the attractiveness of the Gold Coast as a destination to live, to do business, to visit; and
improving the environmental and urban streetscape conditions of the area by reducing or delaying the need for more roads and providing a catalyst for investment, particularly around stations.

What is planned for the Gold Coast?

The Queensland Government’s Transport 2007- An action plan for South east Queensland proposes the development of a light rail system from Southport to Broadbeach. The will be supported by further bus priority measure from Burleigh Heads to Coolangatta and completion of bus lanes from Broadbeach to Burleigh Heads.

The development of a network of north-south and east-west public transport routes and a supporting system of routes linking the major centres of Southport, Surfers Paradise, Broadbeach, Nerang,
Robina and Coolangatta will enhance the appeal of the Gold Coast as a place to live, work and visit.