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<\/p>\nAfter $1.55 billion and four years of disruptive construction, the Gold Coast’s latest mass transit system has finally begun taking passengers.<\/p>\n
Light rail stage 3 has connected the bustling shopping precinct of Broadbeach to the stunning beaches of Burleigh Heads.<\/p>\n
The state government estimates two million passengers will use the network every month but the light rail has become a symbol of the city’s struggle to manage population growth.<\/p>\n
Locals know the trams carry big change.<\/p>\n
Decades in the making<\/p>\n
Urban planning consultant Ned Wales worked at Gold Coast City Council in the mid-2000s, as detailed planning for light rail began.<\/p>\n
“Light rail has a dedicated right of way; you get the reliability in terms of timing and scheduling,” he said.<\/p>\n
“[It’s] not cheap but it’s certainly been well worth it.”<\/p>\n
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Associate Professor Ned Wales from Bond University. (ABC: Glenn Mullane)<\/p>\n
The first stage \u2014 a 13-kilometre line from Gold Coast University Hospital to Broadbeach \u2014 took three years to build and cost $1.61 billion in today’s dollars.<\/p>\n
The former Labor state government initially estimated the 6.7km stage 3 would cost $709 million.<\/p>\n
That has since blown-out to $1.55 billion.<\/p>\n
Mr Wales, now an Assistant Professor of Sustainable Development at Bond University, said light rail required costly upgrades to underground sewer and water infrastructure \u2014 with “many, many moving parts” involved.<\/p>\n
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An aerial shot of the Stage 3 light rail construction, looking north from Miami to Mermaid Beach. (Supplied: GoldLinQ)<\/p>\n
In September 2025, light rail operator GoldLinQ said 48km of utilities had been relocated or upgraded and 137 power poles installed to build 60 per cent of stage 3.<\/p>\n
GoldLinQ chair John Witheriff said crews were uncovering decades-old infrastructure<\/a>, including broken asbestos-cement water pipes, adding unexpected delays.<\/p>\n “We’ve got no idea what’s underground in our city and we’ve got no idea how long the stuff’s been in there and when it’s all going to break up,” he said at the time.<\/p>\n Disruption and reflection<\/p>\n Those disruptions came at a cost for many businesses along the route<\/a>.<\/p>\n Jess Firkin relocated his vintage clothing shop from the light rail route in Mermaid Beach south to Miami last year.<\/p>\n “When something happens to you, you’re very quick to make judgement and point figures,” he said.<\/p>\n “But that doesn’t get the bills paid.”<\/p>\n Jess Firkin at his old shopfront at Mermaid Beach last year, prior to moving. (ABC Gold Coast: Dominic Cansdale)<\/p>\n Now about 100 metres off the new light rail route, Mr Firkin said his trade had increased by 70 per cent.<\/p>\n “As much as it does suck for things to happen outside of your control, there are always actions you can take to help rectify those situations,” he said.<\/p>\n “I would really like it to end on a positive note and really emphasise that business owners need to take accountability and that’s my biggest lesson.”<\/p>\n Construction of light rail at Mermaid Beach, in April 2025. (ABC Gold Coast: Dominic Cansdale)<\/p>\n Locals Raeleigh and Russell Olive said the construction process has been “a real mess”.<\/p>\n “The restrictions on getting in and out of Burleigh [are] \u2026 gone and it looks good again,” Ms Olive said.<\/p>\n “It’s one of our favourite places to come, so it’s nice to know that other people will be enjoying it as well.”<\/p>\n But Mr Olive said “it would have been a great idea” to extend the line further south to the airport.<\/p>\n Opposition builds, plans get scrapped<\/p>\n Light rail was not meant to end with stage 3.<\/p>\n Stage 4 would have connected Burleigh Heads to the airport, described as a critical part of the entire network by urban planners<\/a>.<\/p>\n But the cancellation of stage 4 came about after once-sleepy coastal villages along the proposed route became the focus of intense high-rise development.<\/p>\n The light rail ends at Burleigh Heads, instead of extending further south to the airport, as planned. (Graphic: ABC News)<\/p>\n Opposition grew in suburbs such as Palm Beach, where “Trams Outta Palmy” signs appeared outside homes and shops.<\/p>\n Even surfing great Mick Fanning voiced his disapproval online.<\/a><\/p>\n While he supported stage 4, Mr Wales said “the downside is gentrification”.<\/p>\n “Real estate values increase particularly around tram stations,” he said. “That may lead to some displacement of those on lower socio-economic incomes.”<\/p>\n Opposition to light rail on the southern Gold Coast has been vocal, with protests seen here in 2021. (ABC Gold Coast: Dominic Cansdale)<\/p>\n The LNP government cancelled stage 4<\/a> last year, citing local opposition and an estimated cost of $5.7 billion to $9.8 billion.<\/p>\n But on Friday, Queensland Labor senator Murray Watt said the state had not given the Commonwealth a firm stage 4 business case, making it “impossible to say exactly what that cost would be”.<\/p>\n The state has preserved the light rail corridor along the southern Gold Coast, leaving the door open for a future government to revive the project.<\/p>\n What’s next?<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/eb2b7b69755b53e8ba6ccdc3b2707b6a.jpeg\")
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