Gold Coast’s tram network G:link will celebrate its fifth anniversary tomorrow, having served more than 42 million passengers since its 2014 launch.
The 20-kilometre route, comprising of 19 stations and colloquially called ‘The Goldy’, was first announced in 2009 by the Bligh Labor Government and made its first public journey from Broadbeach South to Gold Coast University Hospital five years later. Stage two of the project, a 7.3-kilometre extension running from the hospital to Helensvale, opened to passengers in December 2017.
The state government is now working towards delivering stage three of the project, involving the construction of track from Broadbeach to Burleigh.
“G:link has been the star performer of South East Queensland’s public transport, driven patronage growth of 50 per cent across the entire on the Gold Coast public transport network,” said Member for Gaven Meaghan Scanlon.
“The numbers of people catching trams continue to climb too, with more than 10.74 million passenger trips taken in 2018-19.”
Both stages of the project have delivered major employment to the region, with around 90 per cent of the 1000 construction workers across both stages of the project coming from either the Gold Coast or South East Queensland areas. The project has also supported around 200 ongoing operational jobs associated with running the light rail.