Gold Coast spends 60 years rebuilding rail line it ripped up

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Some folks reckon Melbourne's not having a train line to its international airport is a bit of a shame.

The massive car park outside Melbourne's airport at Tullamarine is a joke compared to the city's streets lined with trams, says urban historian Peter Spearritt.

"You can only imagine the shame, that they're still without a train from Melbourne's Tullamarine Airport – it's absolutely ridiculous," he said.

It's got more car parks than almost any other airport in the world because they don't have efficient fast train or tram access to it.

Brisbane's got that going for it, at least Sydney does too.

Tear it down, rebuild it

What often goes unnoticed is Queensland spending over half a century rebuilding a Gold Coast line that was torn up back in the 1960s.

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Back then, the Gold Coast Airport wasn't the major hub it is now.

But Professor Spearritt, a University of Queensland academic, said in hindsight it was a poor decision.

He claimed a "massive focus" was put on building roads.

"When the silly decision was made to shut down the Southport to Tweed Heads line, a government minister back in the 1960s reckoned if Gold Coast workers needed to head to Brisbane for work, they could just catch a chopper," Professor Spearritt said.

It's a sort of a futuristic vision of what modern life could be like.

Tantalisingly close lines

Decades on and billions of dollars in later, two rail lines have stretched down towards the Queensland and New South Wales border.

Fair dinkum, the Gold Coast Airport is the second biggest in both states because it is situated right on the border.

In a few years, two railway lines will terminate about 14 kilometres from the Gold Coast Airport.

An existing heavy rail line runs at Varsity Lakes, the main rail connection to Brisbane.

At the same time, the light rail line, which is currently being built to Burleigh Heads, runs along the coastal strip and links up with the heavy rail at Helensvale in the north of the city.

The Crisafulli government could be a roadblock.

It followed criticism from locals who resided along the path.

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There's been talk that the last part of the route could be serviced by buses, with a bus depot built right near the beach at Burleigh Heads.

Reliability a priority

Queensland Transport Minister Brent Mickelberg stated he was open to all modes of transport.

He just wanted it to be trustworthy, secure and within his budget.

"My approach to all these problems is probably best described as being neutral to all modes," Mr Mickelberg said.

We have to keep an open mind when examining these issues.

Professor Spearritt said that public transport needs to be dependable above all.

But he said a change from trams to buses could be a deterrent for some users.

"People are genuinely worried that the shift to buses, trains and trams is going to hold them up, so getting on one of those is the best way to go," Professor Spearitt said.

I reckon it should be a rail link to the airport, so people can get to Coolangatta Airport from all those southern suburbs of Brisbane.

Second Brisbane air link

Queensland Airports Limited, the operator of the Gold Coast Airport, has been keen to get a rail link to the rest of south-east Queensland for a long time.

The Gold Coast master plan includes trams stopping right in front of the airport, and it's also allowing for a heavy rail station.

The organisation's chief property and planning officer, Brian McGuckin, said the connection to south-east Queensland's rail network was a key "missing link".

He said it would make it easier for south-east Queensland residents to get around and lead to more competition for flights in and out of Brisbane Airport.

"G'day, I reckon it's fair dinkum that people should have a say in this and keep things competitive," said Mr McGuckin.

Bus and tram capacity

He described it as "exciting" that two rail lines were near the airport, but he said clear communication from leaders about future development plans was essential.

"What the Gold Coast requires is a consistent and clear message about what will be achieved … not just for the airport's benefit, but for the whole Gold Coast region," he said.

With local roads in southern Gold Coast suburbs often clogged with traffic, Mr McGuckin said it's crucial to acknowledge the growth expected at the airport which attracts 6.7 million visitors each year.

Mr McGuckin said the figure is expected to jump to 10 million within the next eight years, and nearly double in the next couple of decades.

"If you think about the capacity of buses, a regular bus can carry around 65 people, whereas a typical light rail tram can accommodate around 350 passengers," he said.

It's a substantially greater number of movements [for] bus traffic with turning areas and requirements to pull over.

There's a big challenge for us to get that many passengers with the limited capacity of a standard bus service … or even a city bus service.

Queensland gets the better of Victoria

Gold Coast city councillor Glenn Tozer, like Mayor Tom Tate, said heavy rail was his preferred public transport option to the airport, despite the enormous price tag.

"Fair dinkum, one way from the bottom to the top is the most logical," Cr Tozer said.

I reckon having an industrial bus depot smack bang in the middle of Burleigh is a pretty significant issue.

While it's costly, I believe it's the most effective way to use our resources and assets, and any other option would lead to a worse outcome in the long run.

He stated that the council wasn't involved in the decision-making process for the heavy rail line.

He reckons the project should've been given an extra 20 years ago.

"I reckon that'd be a ripper of an idea," Cr Tozer said.

Professor Spearritt said that having a rail link to south of Coolangatta could also lead to cheaper airfares.

"I reckon we should get one up on Melbourne by getting the train to the Gold Coast Airport as quick as possible," he said.

It's got the potential to divert a fair chunk of traffic away from Brisbane Airport.

Now, that's not in the best interests of the people who run Brisbane Airport, but we can't live our lives just around who owns the airport.