Railway_Digest__February_2018
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The ‘G 2’ is an early opener<br />
In contrast to the late and controversial delivery of two other south-east<br />
Queensland rail projects, the Redcliffe railway and New Generation<br />
Rollingstock EMUs, stage two of the Gold Coast light rail (known as the<br />
G:Link or simply the ‘G:’) opened ahead of schedule on Sunday, 17<br />
December 2017. Originally it had been planned to open the 7.3 kilometre<br />
extension from Gold Coast University Hospital to Helensvale station in<br />
January or early <strong>February</strong>, but successful testing of track, power supply<br />
and the four new trams ordered for the extension, plus sufficient driver<br />
training, allowed an earlier opening.<br />
The opening celebrations commenced with the 5.29 am departure<br />
of the first public tram from Helensvale station. Bombardier Flexity 2<br />
No.05 had the honour of providing the first service. Despite the early<br />
Sunday hour around 60 people were on board and the event was well<br />
covered by media outlets. Free travel was provided over the entire 20<br />
kilometre line from Helensvale to Broadbeach South for the day. During<br />
the morning passenger loadings gradually built up with many people<br />
travelling to Helensvale station for the opening celebrations. ‘Show bags’ were<br />
distributed at Helensvale and the two new intermediate stations, Parkwood<br />
and Parkwood East, while food stalls, musicians and face-painting added<br />
to the festive atmosphere at Helensvale. Ironically, there were no trains<br />
to Helensvale on the opening day as Queensland Rail had planned<br />
trackwork for the Gold Coast line well ahead of the light rail opening.<br />
Given that the extension, like the original line from Gold Coast<br />
University Hospital to Broadbeach South, was funded by all three<br />
levels of government, it was not surprising that a large gathering of<br />
politicians would be at the ceremony, led by GoldLinQ CEO Phil Mumford.<br />
John Witheriff, the chairman of the GoldLinQ consortium that has<br />
constructed and operates the G:, highlighted the long hours put in by<br />
GoldLinQ management and staff to open the line ahead of schedule.<br />
He reminded the gathering that the line was built in just 21 months<br />
from the letting of a contract to CPB Contractors (formerly Leighton<br />
Contractors) in March 2016. He also commented that when there<br />
appeared to be a change in the Commonwealth Government’s attitude<br />
to funding the extension (an oblique reference to the change of Prime<br />
Ministers from Tony Abbot to Malcolm Turnbull in September 2015)<br />
there was frantic behind-the-scenes work to ensure Commonwealth<br />
funding became available. Deputy Premier, former Transport<br />
Minister and newly-appointed Treasurer, Jackie Trad, officiated at the<br />
proceedings along with new Transport Minister, Mark Bailey. Ms Trad<br />
had been heavily involved in the funding negotiations for the extension<br />
in her former role as Transport Minister. The Federal Government was<br />
represented by Steve Ciobo, Member for Moncrieff and Minister for Trade<br />
and Investment and Stuart Robert, Member for Fadden. Gold Coast Mayor<br />
Tom Tate and Queensland Transport Director-General Neil Scales were<br />
also in attendance. Representatives from Keolis (part of the GoldLinQ<br />
consortium) and Marubeni Corporation attended from France and Japan<br />
respectively. Marubeni Corporation is a GoldLinQ equity partner.<br />
The opening speeches were of a bi-partisan nature, emphasised<br />
by the fact that Steve Ciobo was previously reported by the Gold<br />
Coast Bulletin as being opposed to a special Commonwealth funding<br />
allocation for stage two and that newspaper’s pro-light rail campaign,<br />
but at the opening he indicated he was a strong supporter of light rail.<br />
The value of having the three levels of government funding the project<br />
was emphasised – something that would possibly only happen in<br />
Queensland where local government bodies are generally far bigger<br />
than elsewhere in Australia. The $420 million project was funded by the<br />
Queensland Government ($270 million), the Australian Government<br />
($95 million) and the Gold Coast City Council ($55 million). The opening<br />
of the extension well before the Commonwealth Games, to be held on<br />
the Gold Coast in early April, was highlighted, and reference was made<br />
by Mayor Tate that planning is underway for stage 3A of the light rail<br />
project – from Broadbeach South to Burleigh Heads.<br />
Following the speeches, the politicians signed several surfboards<br />
commemorating the opening (something quintessentially ‘Gold Coast’),<br />
posed with a ribbon and then boarded the ‘official’ tram, No. 17, along<br />
with a large number of members of the public and media for the ride<br />
to Gold Coast University Hospital and Broadbeach South (the southern<br />
terminus). Trams operated at 10- minute intervals as per the normal<br />
Sunday timetable applying between 7.00 am and 7.00 pm and healthy<br />
passenger loads were noted until late afternoon. According to the<br />
Gold Coast Bulletin more than 40,000 passengers were carried on the<br />
34<br />
RAILWAY DIGEST
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