AUSTRALIA: Main work on Stage 2 of the Gold Coast light rail line begun on August 5 with a groundbreaking ceremony attended by Queensland Minister for Transport & the Commonwealth Games Stirling Hinchliffe, federal Minister for Urban Infrastructure Paul Fletcher and Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate.
The northern extension will run from Gold Coast University Hospital to Helensvale, where interchange would be provided with Queensland Rail services. The 7·3 km route would have intermediate stops at Parkwood East and Parkwood, with 1 000 park-and-ride spaces at Parkwood and 400 at Helensvale.
CPB Contractors is building the extension. The cost of A$420m is being met through a A$270m contribution from the Queensland government, A$95m from the federal government and up to A$55m from the city.
Opening is planned for April 2018, in time for the Commonwealth Games that Gold Coast is hosting that month. Bombardier Transportation is supplying a further four Flexity trams from its Bautzen and Wien plant, all of which are due to arrive by October 2017.
