Monday, March 17, 2014
March has been a month of milestones with the latest step closer to G:link operations seeing a tram in Broadbeach for the first time.
The Gold Coast light rail project today covered the entire 13 kilometre Stage one route with a testing tram for the first time.
GoldLinQ Communications Director Jason Ward said the G: had arrived in Broadbeach after almost eight months of testing through Southport and Surfers Paradise.
“With wires now live for the complete system and trams through the heart of Surfers Paradise last week, it is exciting to see the trams make their way to the end of the line,” Mr Ward said.
“Broadbeach South Station is the terminus for the Stage one light rail route and will serve as a major bus and tram interchange, which will see Gold Coast residents and tourists link southern Gold Coast bus services seamlessly with a tram heading north in the city.
“Following low-speed, police escorted trials this week, trams will progressively reach operational speeds through Surfers Paradise and Broadbeach.”
Milestones reached in March have included the final section of the system energised to pave the way for tram to test through to Broadbeach and the first tram through the heart of Surfers Paradise on 10 March.
GoldLinQ CEO Phil Mumford said trams reaching their southern-most point on the Stage one route was a great milestone for not only GoldLinQ staff but also the community.
“Construction through Broadbeach as well as Southport and Surfers Paradise is in its final stages and seeing the trams all the way to Broadbeach South Station shows what progress has been made,” Mr Mumford said.
“The Gold Coast community has watched the light rail project transform from underground services investigations three years ago to track-laying and trams moving around what will be a world-class system.
“Tram testing in Broadbeach from today is a clear reminder to all road users to follow the existing Queensland road rules and safely interact with the G:link system.”
Trams have been testing on the Gold Coast since September 2013 when the first tram arrived in the city from Germany and an extensive awareness campaign has reached more than 2 million people.
The campaign has included more than 300,000 safety brochures delivered to letterboxes, the brochure in foreign languages to all hotels on the light rail corridor, school presentations to more than 10,000 students in 2013 and a four-minute safety video played in cinemas and online.