The Gold Coast’s Light Rail is celebrating a major milestone today, with Council hopeful the achievement will get the attention of the State Government.
The tram has now officially recorded 100 million paid passenger trips since it came into operation on the Gold Coast 11 years ago.
Acting Mayor Mark Hammel has welcomed the numbers, but says it reinforces the need for the trams to be extended right through to the border.
“It absolutely underscores, and I hope is the kind of numbers, that make the State Government reflect on why Light Rail Stage Four was only ever the fourth part of a bigger project,” he said.
“And why every week and every month we waste arguing over this review is wasted time and we just get on and build it”.
He says the record patronage is exactly why the light rail should be built all the way to the airport, as the expansion remains up in the air amid a State Government review.
“This was a plan put in place nearly 20 years ago to deliver that critical spine from the airport up through the city, where not just our local residents need it but where tourists need to get to as well,” Cr Hammel said.
It comes as Stage 3 works progress, with utilities and rail work coming to a close in the northern part of the alignment from Broadbeach to Miami.
“It gets you to the places you want to get to in the city, there’s big events in Surfers Paradise, getting down to Broadbeach, accessing Gold Coast University Hospital,” the Acting Mayor added.
“I understand why 100 million people have used the public transport system in light rail, it absolutely does underscore why we need Light Rail Stage Four to go all the way to the airport”.
