Gold Coast railway line



The Gold Coast railway line is an interurban railway line operated by Queensland Rail in Queensland, Australia, connecting Brisbane with the Gold Coast. The line has 17 stations. In 2021, a journey from Central station to the terminus of this line was scheduled to take 1 hour 23 minutes. There are plans for several new stations along the existing line, as well as an extension south.

The line ran to Tweed Heads in the early 1900s until the 1960s. A new Gold Coast railway opened in 1996 with an extension to Varsity Lakes opened in 2007. In December 2017 the G:link light rail services connected to the line at Helensvale station. Duplication of the line progressed in stages.

History
The Beenleigh railway line opened in 1885 and, in 1889, was extended to Southport as the South Coast Line. A branch line to Tweed Heads, New South Wales was opened on 10 August 1903 with the running of an excursion train. The first regular passenger train made the journey from Brisbane on 14 September 1903. Due to the increasing popularity of the motor car, and the influence of political interests in road transport, the Tweed Heads branch closed in 1961, and the line from Beenleigh to Southport closed in 1964.

The new Gold Coast railway opened in 1996, running on a different alignment from Beenleigh to Helensvale. It was extended to Nerang in 1997, and Robina in 1998. In 2009, the line was further extended to Varsity Lakes.

Originally built as a single-track railway, the line was duplicated in stages. The final section to be duplicated was between Coomera and Helensvale stations, with work completed in late 2017, and the new track operational in 2018.

Route
The Gold Coast (Varsity Lakes) railway line is an extension of the Beenleigh line. Trains travel express between Park Road and Beenleigh stations, with limited stops (currently at Altandi and Loganlea) on the Beenleigh railway line. During events at the Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre, Gold Coast and Brisbane Airport trains will make a stop at Banoon station. Most trains from the Gold Coast run through to Brisbane Airport, allowing tourists and locals access to more international destinations than from the Gold Coast's own airport.

Prior to 20 January 2014, services on the Gold Coast Line travelled express between South Bank and Beenleigh, stopping only at Park Road, Coopers Plains and Loganlea during off-peak hours.

From 2025, the line will use Cross River Rail and stop at three new stations in the inner city.

Extension plans
The South East Queensland Infrastructure Plan and Program of the Bligh Labor government included a proposal to extend the line to the Coolangatta Airport terminal, which was included in the Labor government's "Connecting SEQ2031" infrastructure plan.

The proposed alignment parallels the Pacific Motorway before passing under the threshold of runway 32 at the Gold Coast Airport and looping around to the terminus, near the airport carpark. Under the plan, land reservations were proposed for possible new infill stations on the existing line between Beenleigh and Ormeau (Yatala is a prime candidate), and at Pimpama, Coomera North, Helensvale North, Parkwood and Merrimac. Triplication north of Beenleigh has also been proposed. The cost of extending the line to the airport has been costed at around $2.8 billion.

An extension to the G:link light rail system was announced in October 2015. Beginning at Helensvale station, the line was extended to the former terminus at Gold Coast University Hospital, and now continues via the previously built line to Southport, Surfers Paradise and Broadbeach. The extension was opened in December 2017 in time for the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

New stations
As part of the Cross River Rail project, three new stations will be built on the existing line, at Pimpama, Hope Island and Merrimac. The first one is to be built by 2024, while four other ones are planned at Tallebudgera, Elanora, Tugun and Gold Coast Airport, once the line has been extended. The Cross River Rail project will allow trains to run every five minutes during peak periods.

Line guide, frequency and services
Typical service frequency on the Gold Coast railway line are two trains per hour, increasing to six trains per hour in peak periods. Gold Coast services generally run express between Beenleigh railway station and Park Road railway station, with stops at Loganlea Station and Altandi Station. The typical travel time between Varsity Lakes and Brisbane City is approximately 79 minutes (to Central).

During times of disruption in the inner south of Brisbane (between South Brisbane and Yeerongpilly stations), Gold Coast line trains can be maintained via the Ipswich, then Corinda-Yeerongpilly lines to/from Moorooka. The stopping pattern is usually altered to run express between Roma Street and Beenleigh (with the same limited stops at Altandi and Loganlea stations).

Most services generally continue as the Airtrain service to Brisbane Airport, stopping at the International and Domestic terminals.

Passengers for/from the Beenleigh line change at either Beenleigh, Loganlea or Altandi, Cleveland line at Park Road, Ipswich/Rosewood/Springfield lines at Roma Street, Ferny Grove at Bowen Hills and all other Northbound lines at Eagle Junction.

Shortcomings were exposed by unexpectedly high passenger take-up during the construction of the Pacific Motorway, exacerbated by the extension of the service to Brisbane Airport but failing to provide for the additional baggage carried by passengers. Before a 2010 upgrade in peak-services, many peak-hour passengers had to stand for much of the 70-minute journey.

In 2010, services on the Gold Coast line were the most delayed in the state. Problems were caused by a number of factors, including signal failure and severe weather conditions.