Gold Coast Light Rail

[ozbob]

Gold Coast Bulletin --> Opinion: Daniel O'Hare believes the Gold Coast needs better light rail linking across the region — and fast

BY just focusing on roads we are not looking at the right part of the problem.

The structure of the city as a whole is an issue and we need to keep basing things on a public transport network which can serve as an alternative to the car.

If you make it attractive enough to people you will get some major improvements.

Some good starts have been made but more has to be done and we need the light trail to become more of a network rather than a single line.

What we have gone now is great and what has been achieved over this short period is great but there is a need to keep going.

In additional to going south, the thing which must be considered is the value the city would get by linking the health and knowledge centres of our major universities and hospitals.

We already have this in the north, but at some point we must get an east-west connection to Robina.

This way you will get the second-biggest university and the private hospital link and it would also create a rail loop connecting with the heavy rail.

What this will do is integrate the city's knowledge, economic and culture.

This recognises that the Gold Coast is a new kind of city without one single city centre.

We are a multi-centred city and among the major centres are Southport and Robina for business, education and health.

There are the main tourism centre of Surfers Paradise, the conference and pleasure precinct of Broadbeach and then the tram would make its way from the coastal line to link back to our second cluster of health and knowledge facilities at Robina.

It means we can really develop those areas and in making an extra east-west link viable it would encourage sufficient redevelopment along the line.

It is not something we can wait on and must be done sooner rather than later.

Meanwhile, the tram connection will keep going south to the somewhat forgotten third knowledge node at the border.

There is great potential for a much greater knowledge precinct to be created at the Southern Cross University campus which is right near the airport where the line will terminate.

This is all part of recognising that the Gold Coast is no longer just a holiday or retirement place or a dormitory for Brisbane.

Daniel O'Hare is an associate professor of urban planning at Bond University.

[achiruel]

Caught the tram several times over the weekend, passenger loadings (during the daytime at least) were quite heavy at all times, between Southport and Broadbeach at least. Wonder if it's time to introduce 7.5 minutes services on weekends as well? Probably not required to Helensvale, though. Not sure if the infrastructure allows it, but could every second tram go to Helensvale?

[ozbob]

^

Patronage is climbing steadily, the GC2018 was in Q4, so the increase shown here was before the Games!

From Q3 Tracker

[SurfRail]

I understand it continues to steadily increase.  It's consistently above 30,000 on weekdays.

[ozbob]

Gold Coast Bulletin --> Gold Coast History: Flashback to 2003 feasibility study into Gold Coast Light Rail system

THE $660 million extension of the Gold Coast light rail south to Burleigh Heads has had everyone talking this week.

It was revealed on Monday that the Federal Coalition had secretly signed off on $112 million in funding for the Broadbeach to Burleigh Link.

The explosive budget leak showed the project would be funding in next year's federal budget and was to be part of the struggling government's $7.6 billion re-election pitch to voters.

Much of the talk has focus what impact the tramline will have on the surrounding area as it moves south along the Gold Coast Highway.

Funding is to come from the State Government and Gold Coast City Council pending the results of a $10 million business case which is due to be completed by Christmas.

It comes 15 years after the feasibility study for the tram system's first stage was ticked off.

In 2003, the tram system, then just an idea, passed the first hurdle.

Consultants found light rail was a better solution to the city's worsening traffic problems than other transport options, according to the study.

Then-transport minister Steve Bredhauer told the Bulletin in 2003 the concept of a light rail system had passed two key milestones in the assessment process and that it would play a role in the city's future transport requirements.

He said that the study, which was jointly funded by the state and federal governments, would move to the next stage — evaluating a short-list of route options and a detailed financial and economic assessment.

As part of this stage, environmental factors and project delivery options were investigated, as would the development of an implementation plan.

The consultants compared the light rail to bus, monorail, and then-new technologies such as personal rapid transit and guided buses.

Their report suggested a light rail route between Parkwood and Broadbeach would cost $300 million to $400 million and carry 50,000 passengers a day by 2011.

"The coastal fringe nature of Gold Coast development means that light rail could have a role to play in maximising lifestyle quality, minimising environmental impacts and servicing the growing economic needs of the region," said Mr Bredhauer told the Bulletin.

"Rapid population growth is projected to continue in southeast Queensland and on the Gold

Coast in particular, resulting in a need to strategically review public transport needs in the area."

This projection of its cost and its completion were not even close to accurate — Trams would not start carry passengers until July 2014 and the first stage would ultimately cost around $1.2 billion.

But it was good news at the time for then-mayor Gary Baildon who had been a long-time supporter of the system.

He said at the time the news vindicated the council's stand that a light rail system was what the city needed.

"I'm very pleased the first stage has been completed and the information I've been given is certainly optimistic, in that it's a very viable form of transport," said Cr Baildon said at the time.

"I've got no doubt of the viability of it. I've got no doubt of the support of the Gold Coast community for it, and I've got no doubt that it's the way of the future.

"It's been proved throughout other countries in the world.

The light rail had first been proposed in mid-late 1997 and went through years of battles for funding. Stage one was finished in 2014 and stage two took its first passengers in late 2017.

Now, Gold Coaters await when the first sod will be turned on stage three.

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/7NewsGoldCoast/status/1044855729650380802

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/gclightrail/status/1050595451353743360

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/TransLinkSEQ/status/1055362250599481344

[red dragin]

I thought Gold Coast Monopoly was rolling the dice on if your NGR service would make it to Brisbane or not?

[ozbob]

I thought Gold Coast Monopoly was rolling the dice on if your NGR service would make it to Brisbane or not?

Oooh ah ... you are a hard dragin,  red dragin ...   

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/railbotforum/status/1055858458270912512

[achiruel]

So a slap on the wrist, basically. Maybe this man should've thought about using public transport before he lost his licence if he was so affected by medication.

[ozbob]

Gold Coast Bulletin --> Gold Coast light rail trip numbers surge to almost one million a month

NEW data has revealed more patrons than ever are riding the Gold Coast light rail.

An average of nearly 1 million trips a month are being taken on the trams according to figures released by the Department of Transport and Main Roads today.

In the July-September quarter, passengers took an average of 70,575 more trips per month than in the January to March quarter, bringing the total to 949,687 trips a month.

Transport Minister Mark Bailey said Stage 2 of the light rail, which came on line in

December, had played a big part in increasing patronage.

"Before Stage 2 opened the average monthly patronage of light rail was about 665,000 trips and to now be approaching one million passengers in a single month shows the impact of the extension," he said.

"The three new stations which opened as part of the Stage 2 extension recorded 78,000 trips in their first month of service and have continued to record big numbers since.

"More than 3600 trips are taken each day from the new stations, which have contributed to a 33 per cent increase in patronage across the network.

"The Stage 2 stations passed the one million trip mark in late September."

The figures will be seen as giving a major boost to hopes of extending the tram system further south.

Planning is well advanced for Stage 3A, which will extend the line from Broadbeach to Burleigh, while Stage 3B is expected to further extend the line down the Gold Coast Highway to the airport. Spur lines west to Robina and Varsity Lakes are also being considered.

Tourism Minister Kate Jones said the trams had proven invaluable during the busy GC600 event, ferrying passengers in and out of the motor sports precinct

"The trams carried more than 180,000 passengers across the GC600 weekend this month, making it the busiest GC600 weekend for the system to date," she said.

"In previous years, light rail has carried between 160,000 and 170,000 passengers during the GC600, so it's another record.

"Major events such as the Commonwealth Games and GC600 have shown that it is an invaluable asset."

[SurfRail]

Once it cracks around 33,000 per day (averaged over a full year of 365 days), it will be carrying more passengers than the normal route buses do. 

At around 38,000, it will be carrying more than all Surfside services combined, including school and special events.  That will also put it in around the same territory as the top 3 individual Melbourne routes (86/96/109), which carry between 40-50 thousand on weekdays.

[OzGamer]

Once it cracks around 33,000 per day (averaged over a full year of 365 days), it will be carrying more passengers than the normal route buses do. 

At around 38,000, it will be carrying more than all Surfside services combined, including school and special events.  That will also put it in around the same territory as the top 3 individual Melbourne routes (86/96/109), which carry between 40-50 thousand on weekdays.

Popular/shock jock/tabloid opinion was completely wrong on recent rail lines - everyone wanted the Redcliffe line and many fought the Gold Coast Light Rail, but the latter is clearly much more successful and popular than the former.

Who could have imagined that a frequent and accessible line through one of the densest bits of city in Australia with tourists, a major hospital, and a university would get more passengers than a rail line through a swamp a kilometre or more away from major centres running half hourly most of the day?

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/9NewsGoldCoast/status/1065045134973251584

[ozbob]

^

Couriermail --> Traffic diverted after truck crashes into Broadbeach South tram station

EMERGENCY services are at the scene of a crash which has left a Broadbeach tram and bus platform damaged.

Just before 9am this morning a truck crashed into Broadbeach South station on the Gold Coast highway, damaging poles and an overhead canopy.

One man has been transported to Robina Hospital over the incident.

No bystanders were injured.

Two northbound lanes of the Gold Coast Highway remain closed to traffic.

Motorists are advised to avoid the area and take alternative routes.

Light rail services are continuing however bus services to the stop are temporarily unavailable.

The heavy vehicle remains on the scene.

[SurfRail]

My usual stop (D) too.

[ozbob]

Beat up ...

Gold Coast Bulletin --> Gold Coast light rail: crime rates at light rail stations with Broadbeach the least safe.

REPORTED crime has increased by a staggering 400 per cent at some light rail stations, but the Government says the climb reflects deliberate targeting of offenders by police.

Latest statistics highlighting hot spots provide some surprises, with the safest station at Parkwood East (no reported crime) and the worst at Broadbeach.

Helensvale, the Gold Coast University Hospital and Griffith University, which lie on the second stage of the tram route, were also the safest destinations.

Broadbeach was the worst for offences, particularly at its southern station where theft remains a problem, along with the Southport CBD and Surfers Paradise stations where the most offenders were being caught.

Currumbin MP Jann Stuckey, who was concerned about security after exposing big increases in fare evasion, sought a breakdown of crime figures from the Government for each station during 2017-18.

Southport and Southport South station figures combined showed a jump from 17 reported crimes to 68 incidents in the last financial year, she said.

"That is a staggering increase of 400 per cent which is completely unacceptable. Broadbeach South figures almost doubled and Cavill Avenue went from 15 reports in 2015-16 to 40 during the same time," Ms Stuckey said.

"These latest figures are truly worrying. It seems Gold Coast G:link stations are being viewed as soft targets. Security needs to be beefed up."

Worst stations for offences were Broadbeach South (78), Cavill Avenue (40), Southport (38), Southport South (30) and Surfers Paradise North (18).

By comparison, Parkwood East recorded no reported crime, Griffith University had seven offences and Helensvale recorded nine.

Police Minister Mark Ryan cautioned that police conducted regular surveillance with TransLink and the light rail service, which was reflected in the data.

Transport Minister Mark Bailey told the Bulletin: "Once again Jann Stuckey and the LNP are attacking light rail on the Gold Coast.

"If Ms Stuckey had simply inquired, she would know the increase in reported crimes at these stations is directly related to a substantial increase in active police patrols.

"More offenders are being caught for offences such as unruly or drunken behaviour due to more patrols.

"At Southport and Southport South, 50 of the 68 reported crimes were good order offences such as public disorder, nuisance and abusive language detected by uniformed officers acting to protect passengers and keep them safe."

A dedicated senior network officer patrol base at Southport provided a presence on the network to target fare evasion and anti-social behaviour on all modes of public transport, he said.

Southport councillor Dawn Crichlow said the biggest challenge for authorities around CBD light rail stations was crowded seating.

[SurfRail]

Stuckey doesn't actually give a toss about public transport, only what fare evasion means for the budget and how many fears she can stoke about Laura Norda at election time.  You'd never see her go into bat for the people in her electorate who have woeful bus services off the Gold Coast Highway (think the 763, 764, 766, 767, 768 and the total lack of service between the GC Hwy and the western parts of the Palm Beach).

The MPs south of Broadbeach are all useless.

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/9NewsGoldCoast/status/1075295658397986816

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/ozbob13/status/1133394413017866240

[ozbob]

Gold Coast Bulletin --> Gold Coast light rail: Incredible patronage figures revealed ahead of fifth anniversary

New data has revealed just how successful the Gold Coast light rail is. Exceeding all expectations, Coast business leaders say the numbers 'speak for themselves'.

THE Gold Coast light rail has carried more than 42 million passengers in its first five years, new data shows.
The tram system will notch five years of service this week and both political and city leaders say it's time a deal was done to make the Broadbeach to Burleigh Stage 3A a reality.

New data supplied by TransLink reveals:

* 42.1 million passenger trips have been recorded by the tram across both stages since July 2014.

* The busiest station in the 2018-19 financial year was Cavill Ave, with 1.67 million people boarding the G-Link from the heart of the party precinct.

* Other busy stations include Broadbeach South, Southport, Helensvale and Gold Coast University Hospital, all of which took passengers ranging from 900,000 to 1.49 million people in the past financial year.

Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate said the figures spoke for themselves.

"Extending the light rail to the airport is a no-brainer. Numerous Gold Coast leaders are behind the project, as are peak planning, development and transport experts," he said.

"Other levels of government need to realise there is a huge economic upside to this project. Increased land values, increased stamp duty turnover and increased market activity all benefit the Federal and State budgets.

"We are Australia's number one tourism destination and light rail direct to the airport is essential. It will mean less cars on the roads, increased property prices, increased rates and an economic upside for all levels of government."

The tram had its busiest weeks during the 2018 Commonwealth Games when more than 100,000 people used it each day.

GoldLinQ chairman John Witheriff said more than one million trips were now being taken on the light rail monthly.

He welcomed the strong passenger numbers and said each stage of the tram extension had a greater purpose beyond simply being public transport.

"Stage One was about getting rail in the ground but in a practical sense. But it was about also upgrading the city's underground infrastructure to cope with the population growth over the next 40 years," he said.

"It was intrusive but it hard to be done because it's hard to dig up the underground

"What we had then was a platform for orderly development on the northern end of the Gold Coast.

"Stage Two gave us a taste of the capacity to manage growth if we get the public transport right across the board."

A funding row about the $709m tram link's third stage has been running for three months

The Federal Government is refusing to budge from the $112 million it has already committed.

State Transport Minister Mark Bailey said the Federal Government was $157.5 million short of matching its Stage 1 commitment.

Mr Baily said funding talks for Stage 3A were ongoing but insisted the State Government would not shoulder a higher percentage of the project's costs.

"We've been clear and consistent in saying the current federal offer for the next stage of light rail is the lowest proportion ever and just not good enough," he said.

"The Palaszczuk Labor Government did the heavy lifting on stage two to make the Games a success, but this one off intervention is not a sustainable funding model.

"We'll keep fighting though and we'll use all the time available to us to seek a better deal and will consider our funding position once a fair offers from the Federal Government is made."

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/ozbob13/status/1150432524515962887

[ozbob]

Gold Coast Bulletin --> Gold Coast light rail: Gold Coasters support tram service as it marks five years

Gold Coast residents are ditching their cars in favour of trams five years after the transformative service started in the region. Locals and tourists reveal what like most.

GLITTER Strip residents are ditching their cars in favour of trams five years after the transformative service started in the region.

Merrimac's Dale Mottley, 77, and Pacific Pines' Margaret Dearing, 75, were waiting for a G:link tram at Southport station yesterday.

The couple were off to VIVA Surfers Paradise to catch an Elvis tribute – and decided to leave their cars in the garage out of convenience.

"It goes quickly, the time. I can't believe it's been five years," Ms Dearing said.

"I catch (the trams) quite often when I'm going to the hospital, or coming into town. It's comfortable and reliable.

"It saves getting stuck in traffic. And parking's always a hassle in Surfers.

"We always catch the tram when we're going there."

Mr Mottley said the trams were "cheaper than driving".

He enjoys meeting interesting characters aboard the trams and often assists tourists looking for a particular stop.

Caboolture's Jordan Mitchell, 18, described himself as a regular visitor to the Gold Coast.

He's working on getting his driver's licence, but has struggled to rack up the hours needed behind the wheel.

"(My friends and I) use the trams pretty often. It's quick and much better than catching a bus," he said.

"It beats walking and it's not expensive either. It would 100 per cent be cheaper than driving."

Mr Mitchell comes across quite a few young people using the trams, but "there's a lot of elderly people, people going to work and uni students" using the service.

"And heaps of tourists," he added.

English migrant Katelynn Newman, 20, catches the trams to her job at a hotel several times each week.

She said the service was reliable and convenient, but fares were "a bit too expensive".

https://twitter.com/railbotforum/status/1150430526794166272

[ozbob]

Gold Coast Bulletin --> Gold Coast light rail: Transport Mark Bailey celebrates tram's fifth anniversary

It took the Gold Coast nearly 20 years to get trams but the wait was worth it, argues Transport Minister Mark Bailey who says the planned Broadbeach to Burleigh link is 'stuck at the platform'.

FIFTY years after the last tram ran its service in Brisbane, plenty of people still wonder why someone thought it was a good idea to get rid of them.

Five years after the first tram ran along the line from the hospital to Broadbeach, I'm sure there's many Gold Coast residents who are already forgetting how it was before the light rail.

It was a long and contested journey to get to that first service.

The Gold Coast City Council put trams in its plans as far back as 1996, and the first studies backed by State and Federal governments started in 2002.

The wait was more than worth it though.

More than 42 million passengers have taken a ride on the 'G' since services began in July 2014.

The $420 million stage 2 light rail extension between the Gold Coast University Hospital and Helensvale station opened in 2017 has seen patronage continue to surge.

Light rail was integral to the success of the Commonwealth Games and became an unofficial mascot of the event.

It's also become something of a transport planning superstar, regularly cited by Australia's urban planners as a shining example of how to successfully deliver transformative projects in growing cities.

The success of stages one and two has proved if you build infrastructure the right way and make sure if connects efficiently with other transport and popular destinations, people will use it.

Starting the next stage from Broadbeach to Burleigh is the next milestone we're now working toward.

Funding negotiations with the federal government to date means the project is stuck at the platform currently.

However, all three levels of government contributed a fair share of funding to build light rail's earlier two stages, and I remain confident we will do it again once fair federal funding is committed to keep this Gold Coast success story on track to Burleigh.

Mark Bailey is the State Transport Minister.

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/railbotforum/status/1150431429911695361

[Stillwater]

This quote from Mark Bailey about the funding row over the GC Light Rail extension and his attempts to get more money from the feds is worrying: "
"We'll keep fighting though and we'll use all the time available to us to seek a better deal and will consider our funding position once a fair offer from the Federal Government is made."

This is a bad portent for infrastructure negotiations around any successful SEQ Olympics bid.

It shows that State Labor is prepared to play a game of brinkmanship, holding up sensible projects while criticising the other side through tired political rhetoric about delaying construction.  Meanwhile, money sits in the bank.

Queensland is not too good at estimating costs of major infrastructure. It is easy to see circumstances arising where the Commonwealth and the State negotiate a funding split based on the estimated cost, resulting in a finite dollar offer from the Commonwealth, only to have the project run over cost and exposing the state to a higher dollar contribution.  In such circumstances, the state would argue that the percentage split applies to the new, higher price and the Commonwealth should cough up more money. The Commonwealth position is likely to be that the original fixed dollar contribution remains its offer.

Meanwhile, the clock would be ticking down to the Games.  The date can't be moved.

[ozbob]

Bit of 'double think' going on.  Minister Bailey et al waxing lyrical about how GREAT the Gold Coast Light Rail and associated PT is, and then saying but we can't proceed with further extensions because the Feds are meanies ... 



Other states are powering on.  BORROW the moolah, never been cheaper!!

FMD!

[ozbob]

This quote from Mark Bailey about the funding row over the GC Light Rail extension and his attempts to get more money from the feds is worrying: "
"We'll keep fighting though and we'll use all the time available to us to seek a better deal and will consider our funding position once a fair offer from the Federal Government is made."

This is a bad portent for infrastructure negotiations around any successful SEQ Olympics bid.

It shows that State Labor is prepared to play a game of brinkmanship, holding up sensible projects while criticising the other side through tired political rhetoric about delaying construction.  Meanwhile, money sits in the bank.

Queensland is not too good at estimating costs of major infrastructure. It is easy to see circumstances arising where the Commonwealth and the State negotiate a funding split based on the estimated cost, resulting in a finite dollar offer from the Commonwealth, only to have the project run over cost and exposing the state to a higher dollar contribution.  In such circumstances, the state would argue that the percentage split applies to the new, higher price and the Commonwealth should cough up more money. The Commonwealth position is likely to be that the original fixed dollar contribution remains its offer.

Meanwhile, the clock would be ticking down to the Games.  The date can't be moved.

There is a pattern of delay emerging now:

Sunshine Coast line upgrade - delayed

Gold Coast Light Rail stage 3A - delayed

Central railway station upgrade - delayed

Brisbane ' Metro ' - delayed

====

New trains?  Nothing ..

ATP ETCS L2 ??

There is going to be  a major transport crisis in SEQ if they don't extract the digits ....

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/1029/status/1150641141567672320

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/9NewsGoldCoast/status/1150670632528441344

[aldonius]

By my estimates they're averaging about 100 boardings per service now. Not too shabby.

(About 10M passengers in the last year given numbers have steadily been increasing, divided by 130 services per direction per day.)

[SurfRail]

They are hitting a million a month unofficially (as reported somewhere recently).  The official count for 2018/2019 I expect will be north of 11 million trips. 

It concerns me the bus network hasn't seen as significant patronage gains, something I attribute to the ongoing lack of investment in the system other than when light rail stages open.

[AnonymouslyBad]

It concerns me the bus network hasn't seen as significant patronage gains, something I attribute to the ongoing lack of investment in the system other than when light rail stages open.

Eh, it's not surprising. Legibility and visibility matter. They matter a lot. The 700 was a perfectly good bus service yet the tram that replaced it, in many cases slower and less frequent, has seen patronage go through the roof.

Of course, buses on the GC do need longer running hours and improved frequency in many cases. But the improvements that have been made have (of course) had nowhere near the impact of putting in light rail.

[SurfRail]

The Surfers bus services were only frequent on paper - 20+ minute waits were common on either the Highway or what is now the 705.

Patronage on the services they actually upgraded is strong, but it is withering where they cut back LOS in 2014 for Stage 1.

I estimate it would only need a dollop of about $20m extra funding per year to fix the worst problems - headways greater than 1 hour and shoddy span of hours on the feeder routes (ie minimum for all routes of hourly 6am-9pm weekdays, hourly weekends with shorter span in some cases).  There should even be some left over to get some of the busier hourly routes like the 711 and 741 running half hourly.

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/MarkBaileyMP/status/1152055956118761474

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/RailExpressNews/status/1152070442905063426

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/TransLinkSEQ/status/1152352520771186688

When we don't have too many successes here in SEQ, you do have to make the most of those that we have hey? 

[ozbob]

http://statements.qld.gov.au/Statement/2019/7/19/glink-reaches-fiveyear-milestone

Media Statements

Minister for Transport and Main Roads
The Honourable Mark Bailey

Friday, July 19, 2019

G:link reaches five-year milestone

The Goldy has 42 million reasons to celebrate as its iconic blue and yellow trams cut the cake on five years of connecting the Coast.

Kickstarted with funding from the Bligh Labor Government in 2009, the G:link took its first journey on Sunday 20 July 2014 from Broadbeach South to the hospital, changing how people on the Gold Coast travel forever.

Member for Gaven Meaghan Scanlon said more than 80,000 passengers jumped on board G:link on that day for the very first time.

"Since that first day of service, more than 42 million passengers have been welcomed aboard the 'G'," Ms Scanlon said.

"Trams have revolutionised the way we get around.

"G:link has been the star performer of south east Queensland's public transport, driven patronage growth of 50 per cent across the entire on the Gold Coast public transport network.

"The numbers of people catching trams continue to climb too, with more than 10.74 million passenger trips taken in 2018/19."

Transport and Main Roads Mark Bailey said the success of light rail on the Gold Coast  had made the project something of a transport planning superstar, regularly cited by Australia's urban planners as an example of how to successfully deliver transformative projects in growing cities.

"The Gold Coast is Australia's sixth largest city and one of its most beloved holiday destinations," Mr Bailey said.

"It's got a unique character unlike anywhere else and, five years on, its trams are an unmissable part of its identity and one of the things people love about the place.

"Light rail's success is in many ways the foundation of south east Queensland success in terms of people returning to public transport.

"We've seen record patronage in the south east on our buses, trains, ferries and trams, and light rail can take much of the credit for that."

Mr Bailey said light rail was also a critical project for supporting Gold Coast jobs.

"The Bligh Government was instrumental in getting Stage 1 going, while the Palaszczuk Government built Stage 2 in 18 months so it would be ready to support the Commonwealth Games," Mr Bailey said.

"The first two stages of construction supported more than 1000 local jobs, and now there about 200 operational jobs associated with running light rail.

"Starting the next stage from Broadbeach to Burleigh is the next milestone we're working towards, and I want to see that start as soon as a possible so we can bring more jobs to the Coast and get more people on public transport."

GoldlinQ Chairman John Witheriff said reaching the milestone of five years of operation and seeing the continuing popularity of G:link was very rewarding.

"In 2011 GoldlinQ was awarded the contract to design and construct the Gold Coast light and to operate the system for 15 years," he said.

"Having reached five years of operations, I'm very proud of the entire G:link team and the exceptionally high levels of services and system performance we have achieved.

"When it comes to light rail the people of the Gold Coast have voted with their feet and close to 900,000 passengers now use the tram on average each month.

"We look forward to continuing to meet the high levels of system performance that the community have come to expect and are excited about the potential for continued expansion of the system."

To celebrate the five-year anniversary of passenger services, G:link has a range of activities planned on Saturday 20 July, including activities at Broadbeach South Station.

G:link Five-Year Fast Facts:

Trams have travelled more than 7 million kilometres since testing begun in late 2013

Each of the 18 trams now travels about 100,000km per year

More than 42.1 million passenger trips have been taken to date

The busiest days in the system's history were during GC2018 with more than 100,000 passengers per day

During early works and construction of Stage 1, more than $700 million was spent with local businesses and suppliers

During Stage 2 construction an additional $200 million was spent with local contractors

The system was also built by locals with an average of 90 per cent of construction workers on both stages coming from the Gold Coast and South East Queensland

G:link operations currently provides more than 200 full-time local jobs with roles including LRV operator, controller, technicians and customer service officers

Busiest stations in 2018-19 were Cavill Avenue with (1.67 million boardings) followed by Broadbeach South (1.49 million), Southport (1.1 million), Helensvale (1.09 million) and Gold Coast University Hospital Station (900,000).

G:link's most recent passenger satisfaction survey found 79 per cent or passengers were Gold Coast residents with 11 per cent visitors from Australia and 10 per cent international visitors

Passengers that completed the survey scored G:link 93.6 per cent for reliability, 89 per cent for safety and security and 89.5 per cent for ease of use.

ENDS

https://twitter.com/railbotforum/status/1152354605860184065