Gold Coast railway line, Queensland
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The Gold Coast (Robina) railway line is an interurban railway line operated by QR Citytrain in Queensland, Australia, connecting Brisbane with the Gold Coast.
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[edit] Overview
The Gold Coast (Robina) railway line continues on from the terminus of the Beenleigh line at Beenleigh. From Brisbane the route follows the Beenleigh railway line to Beenleigh, running express between South Bank and Beenleigh stations, with limited stops (currently at Yeerongpilly and Loganlea) on the Beenleigh railway line during the off peak period. Most trains to and from the Gold Coast connect with Brisbane Airport, allowing tourists and locals access to more international destinations than from Gold Coast's own airport.
[edit] History
The original South Coast Line was opened to Southport in 1889 and Tweed Heads, New South Wales, in 1903. Due to the increasing popularity of the motor car, the line was closed in 1964. The new line and alignment from Beenleigh to Helensvale opened in 1996 and was extended southwards to Nerang in 1997 and the Robina terminus in 1998.
[edit] Future Plans
The line will be extended and upgraded with new stations over the next decade. Firstly, a 4.1km extension to Reedy Creek will be built by mid-2009. Track will be duplicated between Ormeau and Coomera and then between Helensvale and Robina, leaving an isolated single track section spanning the Coomera River. Then, the railway will be progressively extended south until it reaches the Tugun Bypass, which it will run alongside before passing under the threshold of runway 32 at the Gold Coast Airport and looping around to the terminus near the airport carpark. In this last stage, the railway will cross the border into New South Wales. Also, under the South East Queensland Infrastructure Plan and Program, reservations are to be made for possible new infill stations between Beenleigh and Ormeau (Yatala is a prime candidate) and at Coomera North, Helensvale North, Parkwood and Merrimac on the existing line. Services will also be upgraded with higher frequencies and capacity, made possible by the track duplication south (and triplication north) of Beenleigh.
In 2008 construction is expected to start on the Gold Coast Rapid Transit System which will either be light rail or busway connecting to a new Parkwood railway station and or the Helensvale railway station.
[edit] Line Information
| Service Frequency: | |
| Monday to Friday Off-peak | 2 per hour |
| Monday to Friday Evening | 1 per hour |
| Monday to Friday Peak Hour | 2 per hour^ |
| Saturday & Sunday Daytime | 2 per hour |
| Saturday & Sunday Evening | 1 per hour |
- ^Peak Hour services are planned to be increased to 4 trains per hour (every 15 mins)
- Gold Coast trains operate express between Beenleigh and South Bank, stopping only at Loganlea and Yeerongpilly in the off-peak.
[edit] Stations
Generally, all Gold Coast trains run express between South Bank and Beenleigh, even during off-peak and weekends. During off-peak times, the trains stop at Yeerongpilly and Loganlea. This is one of two lines (the other being the Nambour and Gympie North Line) where expresses are run in non-peak hour times.
- Note: Some Gold Coast region bus routes remain number under the old route numbering system until late 2006.
- ^ Reedy Creek extension is currently scheduled to be under construction and completed by 2008-2009.
| Name of Station | TransLink Zone | Serving Suburbs | Pattern stops at this station | Connections | ||||
| Gold Coast Line (Inbound) | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Varsity Lakes | 16 | Varsity Lakes^ | ||||||
| Robina | 15 | Robina |  |
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Bus Transfers (TransLink Routes: 748, 750, 752, 756, 765) | ||
| Nerang | 13 | Nerang | |
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Bus Transfers (TransLink Routes: 745, 748, 20, 20A, 21) | ||
| Helensvale | 12 | Helensvale | |
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Bus transfers (TransLink Routes: 709, 715, 725, TX5, 3, 14, 16) | ||
| Coomera | 10 | Coomera | |
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Bus transfers (TransLink Routes: 725, TX5) | ||
| Ormeau | 9 | Ormeau | |
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Bus transfers (TransLink Routes: 567) | ||
| Beenleigh | 8/7 | Beenleigh | |
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Beenleigh Line Bus Transfers (TransLink routes: 553, 562, 563, 565, 566, 567) |
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| Loganlea | 6 | Loganlea | |
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Bus transfers (TransLink routes: 556, 560, 562) | |||
| Yeerongpilly | 3/2 | Yeerongpilly | |
Bus Transfers (TransLink routes: 104, 105, 108) | ||||
| South Bank | 1 | South Bank, South Brisbane | |
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Cleveland Line, Beenleigh Line Bus transfers at South Bank Busway Station |
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| South Brisbane | 1 | South Bank, South Brisbane | |
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Bus transfers at Cultural Centre Busway Station | ||
| Roma Street | 1 | Brisbane | |
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Ipswich/Rosewood Line Bus transfers at Roma Street |
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| Brisbane Central | 1 | Brisbane | |
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Nambour and Gympie North Line, Caboolture Line, Shorncliffe Line, Ferny Grove Line, Doomben Line Bus transfers at Adelaide Street |
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| (Connects to Airport Line) | ||||||||
[edit] Stopping Patterns
- Pattern 1 - All stations to Beenleigh, express to Loganlea, express to Yeerongpilly, express to South Bank, then all stations to Brisbane Central (continuing to Brisbane Airport) & vice-versa. (off-peak)
- Pattern 2 - All stations to Beenleigh, express to Loganlea, express to South Bank, then all stations to Brisbane Central (continuing to Brisbane Airport) & vice-versa. (peak)
- Pattern 3 - All stations to Beenleigh, express to South Bank, then all stations to Brisbane Central (continuing onto Brisbane Airport) & vice-versa. (peak)
Some morning and evening off-peak services terminate at Bowen Hills.
[edit] External links
| QR Citytrain Lines | |
|---|---|
| Northern Lines |
■Caboolture Line ■Ferny Grove Line ■Shorncliffe Line ■Doomben Line ■Brisbane Airport ■ Exhibition
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| Southern/Western Lines | ■Ipswich Line ■Beenleigh Line ■Corinda via South Brisbane Line ■Cleveland Line ■ Springfield Line (proposed) |
| Interurban Lines | ■Gold Coast (Robina Line) ■Sunshine Coast (Nambour & Gympie North Line) ■Rosewood Line
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| List of Citytrain stations | | |
