Despite being urged to catch more public transport due to the fuel crisis, Gold Coast train commuters are in for weeks of pain with major service interruptions across April.
Track closures will begin from Good Friday to allow for works, including on the Gold Coast and Logan Fast Rail and Cross-River Rail.
From Friday, April 3 to Saturday, April 11, track closures will be in place on the Gold Coast and Beenleigh lines, as well as the Sunshine Coast, Caboolture, Redcliffe, Doomben, Shorncliffe and Airport lines.
The Gold Coast and Beenleigh lines will see more closures from April 12 through to April 26.
That will force commuters onto replacement buses, doubling travel times in some areas.
Aside from impacting travellers during Easter and school holidays, several big football matches will also be affected.
That includes Saturday’s blockbuster NRL clash between the Titans and Broncos at C-Bus Stadium, and the Gold Coast Suns clash with Essendon at People First Stadium on April 18.
Transport Minister Brent Mickelberg has defended the timing of the closures, arguing they were needed in order to deliver the rail projects on time.
“We can do the work and close the rail line or, alternatively, we can leave the rail line open, and that work can happen by putting rail workers at risk,” Mickelberg said.
Translink is urging commuters to plan ahead and give themselves plenty of time.
“We understand extended track closures can be an inconvenience to customers. This is why we have coordinated work across multiple projects to be undertaken at the same time to help minimise the period of the disruption,” Acting Head of Translink Dean Helm said.
“While there is never a good time for track closures, conducting this work over the school holiday period reduces the impact as less customers travel on the network at this time.”
