Railway_Digest__February_2018

Pages 32 and 33: The southern section of the 7.2 kilometre stage
two of the Gold Coast light rail line is located beside the Smith Street
motorway, the main road from the Pacific Motorway to Southport
and Surfers Paradise. This Monday, 19 December view shows a
southbound tram on the left-hand track approaching the island
platform at Parkwood East station while the one on the right is
climbing the approximate 1 in 14 grade on its way to Helensvale.
The line’s top speed of 70 km/h is allowed on this section. Looming
in the background are high rise buildings at Southport which helped
provide the stimulus for constructing light rail on the Gold Coast.
Left (page 34): The first rays of sun on Sunday, 17 December
catch Bombardier Flexity 2 tram No. 05 as it awaits departure from
Helensvale at 5.29 am to operate the first public service on the 7.2
kilometre extension of the Gold Coast’s light rail line from Gold
Coast University Hospital to Helensvale. Around 60 passengers,
including media representatives, were on board for the historic
journey. The tram is standing at the light rail station’s island
platform while in the left background the island platform for
Queensland Rail’s station can be seen.
opening day and the newspaper’s headlines the following day, “It’s a
Trampede” and “Bring on stage three” summed up the interest in the
light rail extension and the pro-light rail stance of the city’s newspaper.
In contrast to the celebrations the previous day, the first revenue
tram (No. 13) to traverse the extension departed an almost deserted
Helensvale station at 4.59 am on Monday, 18 December with just
two passengers. However, three early-risers boarded at Parklands and
gradually passenger numbers built up as the day progressed. Minister
for Transport and Main Roads Mark Bailey and Assistant Minister for
Tourism Industry Development, Meaghan Scanlon, (who had won the
Gold Coast electorate of Gaven from the Liberal National Party in the
25 November 2017 Queensland election) made the journey by light
and heavy rail from the Gold Coast University Hospital to South Bank
in Brisbane during the morning.
Observations at Helensvale during the day revealed that passengers
for the tram service came not only from ex-Brisbane trains as would be
expected, but also from trains heading north from Varsity Lakes, the Gold
Coast line terminus, as well as from park-and-ride patrons at Helensvale.
This appears to indicate that the new extension will be used as much for
local Gold Coast trips as journeys to and from Brisbane.
Travelling along the extension – gauntlet track and
heavy grades
A traveler surveying the extension in the northerly direction will
depart the former northern light rail terminus at Gold Coast University
Hospital’s semi-underground station and, at the northern end of the
platforms, cross the pedestrian crossing linking the two platforms.
As part of the project ‘walk/don’t walk’ traffic signals have been
installed to protect the crossing, which has limited visibility for trams
approaching around a curve from the north in the underground
section. Almost immediately, just prior to the climb to the surface,
trams encounter an interesting piece of trackwork in the form of
turnouts on each track marking the start of a section of gauntlet double
track. The gauntlet track continues up the ramp to ground level and
then one pair of rails in each track continues as the ‘main line’, crossing
diagonally over the intersection of Olsen Avenue and Parklands Drive/
Wintergreen Drive. The other pair of rails curves to the right and
continues alongside Olsen Avenue as a double track siding before
becoming single track and terminating a few hundred metres from the
junction. GoldLinQ told Railway Digest that gauntlet track was used
to avoid installing turnouts on curves on the ramped section. The
tracks along the ramp are laid on top of a concrete slab and, although
the track is not enclosed in concrete, grooved rail is used. A grade of
approximately 1 in 14 (seven percent) is encountered climbing up the
ramp to the junction – illustrating the ability of light rail applications to
surmount grades that would not generally be used for heavy rail.
The siding will serve two purposes. It can be used to terminate
and store trams clear of the main line during busy periods or service
disruptions. Secondly, a GoldLinQ spokesperson told Railway Digest
it would provide a ‘connection for a potential future extension’. This
is a reminder that the alternative option for the stage two extension
was to proceed north via Olsen Avenue to the large direct factory
retail outlet known as Harbourtown, located on the Gold Coast
Highway (Brisbane Road) at Biggera Waters, and then west alongside
the Gold Coast Highway to Helensvale. There was support for the
Harbourtown route, which would have served a large residential area
as well as the retail venue but the route via Parkwood is faster, was
cheaper to build and involved no street-based track (there are just two
motor vehicle level crossings) and fewer resumptions. In September
2017 Harbourtown General Manager Gary Webb said that he would
like to see light rail serve the retail facility which now has 240 stores.
Queensland Deputy Premier
Jackie Trad addresses the
assembled crowd at the
official opening of the Gold
Coast light rail line stage two
at Helensvale on Sunday, 17
December. On her left are
several surfboards, which
were signed by the politicians
after the ceremony, while
in the right background is
tram No. 17 which conveyed
the official party, media and
members of the public along
the new line. Standing in
front of the surfboards and
facing the crowd is GoldLinQ
CEO Phil Mumford.
FEBRUARY 2018 35