Gold Coast mayor wants to set up a ferry network

Gold Coast mayor wants to set up a ferry network
Alastair TaylorJuly 30, 2018

The Gold Coast might get its own ferry services to complement its light rail and bus networks if the mayor's proposal for a trial is deemed a success.

Local media reports suggest the Mayor's plan will include 12 stops and potentially take up to 3200 cars off the roads.

Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate will present the plan to the Gold Coast Waterways Authority before seeking support from councilors, the Gold Coast Bulletin reports

It is proposed that the Gold Coast City Council will provide dock infrastructure, the Department of Transport and Main Roads will organise the timetable and the Gold Coast Waterways Authority would run the tender and contract process.

Speed limits on some waterways may be challenging however it is reported they will be negotiated as part of the stakeholder consultation process.

The proposed first phase would run between Evandale and Labrador with multiple stops in between including at Cavill Avenue and the vessels would be similar to the Citycats operating on the Brisbane River. 

Gold Coast mayor wants to set up a ferry network
G:Link tram on the Gold Coast - image Wikipedia.

In 2017 the Gold Coast City Council and Queensland State Government committed a combined $10 million to deliver a detailed business case for the extension of the city's new light rail network further south.  

Stage 3a, as the next phase is known, will enter a new round of consultation toward the end of 2018 as detailed maps are released on the extension of the light rail network south from Broadbeach to Burleigh Heads.

A July 2018 update brochure published by the Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads states the anticipated journey time over the 6-7km extension from Broadbeach to Burleigh Heads will be approximately 16-17 minutes.

Likewise, it is anticipated the tram tracks will be laid in the Gold Coast Highway's median and the highway will retain two traffic lanes in each direction.  5 new trams will need to be added to the existing fleet to maintain similar levels of service as stages 1 and 2.

Maps also show the light rail line will eventually run to Coolangatta airport and similar the Gold Coast heavy rail line will eventually be extended from Varsity Lakes to Coolangatta.  No timeframes for construction of light rail stage 3a, stage 3b (Burleigh Heads to Coolangatta) or the heavy rail line have been published.

While the Gold Coast has just under 100 projects on the Urban.com.au project database at the time of writing, the bulk of them are located in the northern suburbs of the Coast.  There are 19 projects located between Burleigh Heads and Coolangatta.

Alastair Taylor

Alastair Taylor is a co-founder of Urban.com.au. Now a freelance writer, Alastair focuses on the intersection of public transport, public policy and related impacts on medium and high-density development.

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