Qld government dumps Gold Coast Airport light rail

According to community consultation, two thirds of Gold Coast residents were against the project, including fierce opposition in Palm Beach.

“The Crisafulli Government made a clear commitment to listen to the Southern Gold Coast local community at the election and today that commitment has been delivered,” Queensland Infrastructure Minister and Acting Premier, Jarrod Bleije, said.

“This is about ensuring transport infrastructure projects are delivered in partnership with local communities to protect what they value most in their community and their lifestyle.”

Speaking at a press conference, Minister Bleije said stage four of the light rail will not factor into the Department of Transport and Main Roads’ (TMR) planning leading up to the 2032 Olympics.

“I think we’ve actually got capacity now to have a better connected Gold Coast, particularly at Southern Gold Coast, than what a light rail, which is a fixed tram line, could have provided,” he said.

“We can now provide a multi-modal transport corridor, which will have buses, heavy rail, linking with heavy rail spur lines out to other communities that aren’t serviced at the moment, and that is what TMR will do.”

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Gold Coast Airport says it is “disappointed” by the decision, but Queensland Airports Limited chief executive Amelia Evans said the airport operator will “await further detail and timelines on the government’s proposed enhanced bus services and multi-modal transport study”.

“Seamless, sustainable and accessible transport between the airport and wider city is critical to meet the demands of the Gold Coast’s rapidly growing population.”

“Legacy infrastructure that stands the test of time is vital to ensure our city continues to thrive for both residents and visitors alike.”

The controversial project was expected to face a number of cost blowouts, with the former Labor government revealing last year that the price tag for stage four could have been three times what was originally anticipated.

Then Transport Minister Bart Mellish said in April last year that the cost estimates came from a preliminary business case, with a final cost to be established by a detailed business case “as is appropriate for a project of this complexity”.

“It does have an estimated cost of $4.4 billion, with a cost range that is $3.1 billion to $7.6 billion,” he told the Gold Coast Bulletin.

“We will move to a full business case and this is a priority project but we have to see what the cost will be before we jump in feet-first.

“When we are talking about the business case, it is important to have eyes wide open about what we are going into. It has a good cost-benefit ratio.”