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Project

Gold Coast Light Rail

PROJECT STATUS

Under Procurement

Gold Coast Light Rail is the largest public transport project undertaken on the Gold Coast to date and is Queensland's first light rail network. The Gold Coast Light Rail project consists of:

Stage One - Gold Coast University Hospital to Broadbeach, operational since July 2014
Stage Two - Helensvale to Gold Coast University Hospital, operational since December 2017
Stage Three - Broadbeach to Burleigh Heads, and
Stage Four - Burleigh Heads to Coolangatta.

Stage Three and Four of the project are under development.

The Gold Coast City Council's City Transport Strategy 2031 planning document notes further expansion of the light rail network are possible. Potential future expansions include:

Nobby Beach to Robina
Broadbeach to Nerang
Surfers to Bundall, and
Gold Coast University Hospital to Biggera Waters.

The Council has also indicated that an extension to Tweed Heads could be possible, subject to agreement by the NSW Government. The NSW Government committed $1 million towards strategic planning of light rail between Tweed Heads and Gold Coast Airport at Coolangatta during the 2019 NSW State election.

Key Dates

May 2011	Contract Award for Stage One PPP
Jul 2014	Construction Completion for Stage One
Mar 2016	Contract Awarded for Stage Two D&C
Dec 2017	Construction Completion on Stage Two

Procurement

Procuring Agency:	GoldLinQ Private Limited on behalf of Queensland Government
Procurement note:	GoldLinQ Pty Ltd has been contracted by the Queensland Government for the design, construction, operations and maintenance of the Gold Coast light rail system. Upon award of the Public Private Partnership (PPP) for Stage One, GoldLinQ comprised KDR2, Bombardier Transportation, McConnell Dowell and Plenary Group. GoldLinQ consortium undertakes the procurement of the stages under development.

PROJECT HISTORY

May 2011	GoldLinQ consortium was awarded the PPP to design, build, finance, operate and maintain Stage One.
2012	Construction of Stage One commenced.
Jul 2014	Stage One of the project became operational.
Aug 2015	Expressions of Interest opened for construction of Stage Two.
Mar 2016	CPB Contractors were announced as preferred contractor for Stage Two.
Jul 2016	Construction on Stage Two commenced.
Dec 2017	Stage Two of the project became operational.
2019	The NSW Government committed $1 million towards strategic planning of light rail between Tweed Heads and Gold Coast Airport at Coolangatta during the 2019 NSW State election.
Oct 2020	John Holland Group was named as preferred bidder for design and construction of Stage Three.

Sector

Rail

Procurement approach

Traditional Procurement | Unconfirmed |

Location

Queensland |

Resources

Project website

GoldLinQ

Media releases

2020/03/07
2019/09/10
2018/11/05
2016/03/18
2020/08/06

Project pages

Stage One (GoldLinQ)
Stage Two (GoldLinQ)
City of Gold Coast
Plenary Group

Major Contract

Gold Coast Light Rail Stage Four

PROJECT STATUS

Detailed Planning

Stage Four (previously Stage 3B) will extend the Gold Coast light rail network from where the planned Stage Three (previously Stage 3A) ends at Burleigh Heads to Coolangatta via the Gold Coast Airport.

The detailed project scope and route will be determined through the business case development process. Broadly, the scope involves:

13 kilometres of dual light rail track
improved Palm Beach Avenue precinct
improved connectivity to the M1 via Nineteenth Avenue
active transport developments along the line
improvements to the Palm Beach Avenue precinct
changes to Tugun Village access for safety and traffic flow improvements, and
wildlife crossings.

The route will include nine stations between Burleigh Heads and Tugun, with further stations to be investigated between Tugun to Coolangatta.

Once delivered, Stage Four will complete a 40 kilometre light rail link between Helensvale in the north to Coolangatta in the south, via the Gold Coast Airport.

Funding contributions

Queensland Government
Gold Coast City Council
The Queensland Government and Gold Coast City Council have committed to jointly fund a $10 million preliminary business case for the project on a 50/50 basis. The Queensland Government subsequently noted in 2024 that the state had provided the majority of the funding. Additionally, the Queensland Government has committed $1.4 million to undertake a transport planning study for Tugun to Coolangatta.

PROJECT HISTORY

Aug 2020	Alongside the announcement of the $5 million business case for Stage Four, the Queensland Government and Gold Coast City Council also announced a jointly funded $2 million east-west transport corridors study. This will look into potential public transport connections on the Broadbeach - Robina and Broadbeach - Nerang corridors. The study will explore options for rapid bus services and whether they can accommodate future spur lines for light rail.
Jul 2021	Alongside the commencement of community consultation, the Queensland Government released further details of the designs for the light rail extending beyond Burleigh including detailed animations, a 3D concept design and artist impressions.
Mar 2024	The Queensland Government released a Preliminary Business Case, proposing revised costs for the project. The Preliminary report provides an estimated P90 capital cost of $4.5 billion, but - noting this is an early stage estimate - provides a range of between $3.1 billion and $7.6 billion. The Preliminary Report also noted an estimated Benefit Cost Ratio for the project of 0.9, though this was based on a total economic cost of $2.9 billion. The Detailed Business Case was expected to be complete in late 2025.

Estimated Total Cost

(2024)

Sector

Rail

Procurement approach

Traditional Procurement | Unconfirmed |

Location

Queensland |

Resources

Media releases

2020/08/06
2021/07/12

Project pages

Queensland Government

Major Contract

Gold Coast Light Rail Stage Three

PROJECT STATUS

Under Delivery

Gold Coast Light Rail is the largest public transport project undertaken on the Gold Coast to date and is Queensland's first light rail network. Stage Three will extend the existing light rail network from Broadbeach to Burleigh Heads along the Gold Coast Highway.

It will comprise:

6.7 kilometres of dual light rail track
eight new stations
five additional light rail vehicles
upgrades and expansions of the existing depot and stabling facilities
a new light rail-bus interchange at Burleigh Heads and Miami
new signalised traffic intersections upgrades
new signalised pedestrian crossings, and
upgraded pedestrian and cycle facilities.

Key Dates

Dec 2019	EOIs Open
2020	Expected Contract Award
Mar 2022	Financial Close
2022	Construction Commencement
2025	Expected Construction Completion

Funding contributions

Federal Government
Queensland Government
Gold Coast City Council
The 2021-22 Queensland Budget confirmed the total cost of Stage Three has increased by $334 million since 2020-2021 Budget to $1 billion.

Procurement

Procuring Agency:	GoldLinQ Private Limited on behalf of Queensland Government
Shortlist:	Burleigh Link JV – a joint venture between Fulton Hogan and UGL Engineering, CPBSW JV – a joint venture between CPB Contractors and Seymour Whyte, and John Holland.
Successful Tenderer:	John Holland
Procurement note:	GoldlinQ, the operator franchisee for the GCLR network, conducted the Stage Three procurement process.

PROJECT HISTORY

Jul 2017	The Queensland Government allocated $5 million towards developing a business case for Stage Three.
Apr 2018	The Queensland Government announced it would partner with the Gold Coast City Council to allocate $5 million each towards a detailed business case for Stage Three.
Nov 2018	Federal Government committed $112 million to the project.
Dec 2018	The business case for Stage Three (previously Stage 3A) was endorsed by Building Queensland.
Jun 2019	Gold Coast City Council committed $92 million to the project.
Aug 2019	Queensland Government committed $351 million to the project. Along with the announcement, the Queensland Government called on the Federal Government to increase its $112 million commitment to $269 million.
Sep 2019	Stage Three (previously Stage 3A) business case was endorsed by Infrastructure Australia.
Nov 2019	Federal Government committed an additional $157 million to the project, bringing the total Federal commitment to $269 million and completing the funding profile.
Dec 2019	Registrations for the EOI process were invited. Qualified registrants will be invited to attend an industry briefing and to submit an EOI.
Feb 2020	Following three proponents were shortlisted for RFP process: Burleigh Link JV: a joint venture between Fulton Hogan and UGL Engineering, CPBSW JV: a joint venture between CPB Contractors and Seymour Whyte, and John Holland Group.
Aug 2020	The Queensland Government and Gold Coast City Council indicated that contract award was imminent, with works to commence before the end of 2020.
Oct 2020	John Holland Group was selected as the preferred bidder for design and construction of Stage Three construction.
May 2021	The Federal Government announced an additional $126.6 million in funding for Stage Three, bringing their total commitment to $396 million.
Jun 2021	The 2021-22 Queensland Budget confirmed the total cost of Stage Three has increased by $334 million since last year’s Budget, to $1 billion. The Budget allocated $114 million in FY2021-22 for the project.
Jul 2021	Early works commenced for the project.
Mar 2022	Amber Infrastructure reached financial close on Gold Coast Light Rail Stage Three. John Holland also formally reached contract close on the design and construction contract.
Jul 2022	Major construction commenced on the project.

Estimated Total Cost

(2022)

Sector

Rail

Procurement approach

Traditional Procurement |

Location

Queensland | National |

Resources

Project website

Stage Three

Media releases

2018/11/05
2021/05/07
2020/08/06
2020/02/03
2019/11/20
2019/09/10 (Queensland Government)
2019/09/10 (Infrastructure Australia)
2022/04/01 (Amber Infrastructure)
2022/04/01

Project pages

GoldLinQ
Queensland Government