Gold Coast Light Rail Stage 3 opened to passengers today, extending G:link from Broadbeach South to Burleigh Heads and bringing Mermaid Beach, Nobby Beach and Miami directly onto the tram network for the first time.
Passenger services on the 6.7-kilometre extension add eight stations to one of the Gold Coast’s most heavily populated and visited coastal corridors. The complete G:link network now stretches around 27 kilometres from Helensvale to Burleigh Heads, with 27 stations served by a fleet of 23 trams.
The new stations are Mermaid Beach, Mermaid Beach South, Nobby Beach, Miami North, Miami, Christine Avenue, Second Avenue and Burleigh Heads. The scheduled journey between Broadbeach South and Burleigh Heads takes about 16 to 17 minutes.
Queensland Transport and Main Roads Minister Brent Mickelberg described the opening as a significant moment for the city.
“Today is a historic day for the Gold Coast, with passengers now able to board a tram from Burleigh Heads for the very first time.”
Senator Murray Watt reflected on the work involved in bringing the extension into service.
“This first journey on Sunday is the culmination of many years of work by all levels of government, and thousands of workers, and it’s fantastic to see it come to life.”
State Member for Burleigh Hermann Vorster said the new connection would link Burleigh more directly with the broader network.
“For the first time, locals and visitors can travel directly to key destinations by tram, connecting one of Queensland's most iconic beach destinations with the broader Gold Coast network.”
Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate said the extension completed an important new link through the city.
“Gold Coasters and visitors will now have a seamless ride from Helensvale to Burleigh, a big win for locals, businesses and visitors.”
For the southern Gold Coast, the practical change is immediate. Passengers can now board at Burleigh Heads and travel through Miami, Nobby Beach and Mermaid Beach into Broadbeach before continuing on the established G:link route through Surfers Paradise, Main Beach and Southport to Gold Coast University Hospital, Griffith University and Helensvale.
That brings Burleigh and the suburbs immediately north of it into the same continuous light rail corridor that has been operating through the central Gold Coast since 2014.
Eight New Stations Through The Southern Coastal Strip
The significance of Stage 3 comes largely from where it has been built.
The extension follows the Gold Coast Highway through established coastal suburbs containing homes, apartments, schools, businesses, hospitality precincts and some of the city’s busiest beaches.
Mermaid Beach had previously sat immediately south of the Broadbeach South terminus. Travelling farther towards Miami or Burleigh required passengers to change to another service or continue by road. Stage 3 removes that break in the light rail journey.
The Extension Opens With 50-Cent Fares
Passengers using the new extension also benefit from Queensland’s permanent 50-cent public transport fare system.
The fare settings are likely to make it easier for people to experiment with the new section during its first weeks of operation. Whether those trial journeys become regular travel habits will be one of the important measures of Stage 3 once the novelty of opening has passed.
The Queensland Government expects the expanded network to carry about two million passengers a month.
Four Years Of Construction Are Coming To An End
The opening also marks the end of the main construction phase of a project that has occupied the Gold Coast Highway corridor since work began in July 2022.
For residents, motorists and particularly businesses along the route, that construction period has been a major part of the Stage 3 story.
Building dual tram tracks through an already developed urban corridor required extensive work to roads, intersections and underground infrastructure. Businesses along parts of Mermaid Beach, Miami and Burleigh spent years operating beside changing traffic arrangements, construction barriers and altered access.
Some finishing works may continue after the start of passenger services, according to Transport and Main Roads, but the principal purpose of the corridor has now changed. The tracks and stations are carrying the public rather than being prepared for them.
The Final Cost Reached $1.549 Billion
Stage 3 represents a substantial public investment.
Transport and Main Roads lists the total project investment at $1.549 billion, significantly higher than the $709 million figure initially attached to the project.
Stage 3 Now Faces Its Real Test
The opening of Stage 3 brings years of planning, construction and disruption to a close, but it also begins the period in which the value of the extension can be judged by how people actually use it.
The new line connects some of the Gold Coast’s most established residential and visitor destinations with a light rail network that has steadily expanded since its first stage opened in 2014. Mermaid Beach, Nobby Beach, Miami and Burleigh now sit directly on that network rather than beyond its southern terminus.
For residents and businesses along the corridor, the most immediate change is also the simplest - the construction project that has occupied the Gold Coast Highway for the past four years has become an operating public transport service.
After four years of construction, the focus now shifts from building Stage 3 to seeing how the Gold Coast uses it.
This article’s feature image is an artist’s impression and is not an official or endorsed image of the service.
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