Gold Coast LIght Rail Stage 3 Extension progress

[@scottyerkes1867]

Projects like this always seem to cause traffic problems. However the end results are better for everyone. Thanks tressteleg1.😀🤞👌

[@tressteleg1]

@@scottyerkes1867 Unfortunately too many businesses are suffering because customers have difficulty accessing their premises. Some don’t survive the time.

[@danielkavan2228]

Thanks for sharing, I've been away from the GC for a while so it's interesting to see the progress (or lack thereof)

[@tressteleg1]

@@danielkavan2228 Yes the ‘lack of’ is the disappointment.

[@miketurner4462]

Dont forget how long it took them to build stage 1, and then stage 2. There's alot that goes in to this entire process, theres alot of logistical hurdles, theres alot of engineering complications that crop up along the way. Should they have built this up in stages, perhaps, but that adds time delays to the full project, yes, there wasn't alot of work getting done in some parts, but by working across the whole project at the same time, they can have different teams working on different aspects, without getting in each others way constantly. Great video though

[@tressteleg1]

@@miketurner4462 This stage 3 is merely 6.7 km of street track and five new trams which are already in service. It is costing (or so they hope) about the same as Stage 1. Stage 1 involved 13 km of track, two bridges over the Nerang river, 14 trams, a depot with workshops and was built in less than four years. This has been going three years and achieved almost nothing. They don’t care how wide the worksite is or how much traffic and local shops are suffering. In stage 1, the worksite was largely the width of the tram track and no more.

[@miketurner4462]

@@tressteleg1 yes, but they learned alot from building stage 1, such as the need for safer workspace. Just because they did something before, doesn't mean they'll do it the same way again. As for costs, you're also forgetting how much more expensive materials and other construction equipment are as opposed to way back when they did stage one, as well as labour costs being alot more now, they just could not build this stage at the same cost as stage 1, even with stage one being the biggest part of the whole build. Stage 1 was also done on more level ground from the start, stage 3 has offset road levels in certain areas that require levelling. We always knew that stage 3 and 4 (when they get to it) would be alot more work, and thus alot more expensive, why, because alot more engineering is required.

[@tressteleg1]

@@miketurner4462 Stages 1 and 2 were all built by contractors different from who is building stage 3. All I can see is a massive go slow as preparation work started at three years ago. Contractor John Holland is now a Chinese company which to me is a good enough reason not to trust them. It seems incredible that in the space of 10 years, for the same money as it cost to build 13 km of track, build the depot with workshops and offices, build two bridges over the Nerang river and the long viaduct between the depot and the university and all we get for that money this time is 7.6 km of track and five new trams. And the way it is going, it is going to be years overtime and millions over budget.

[@anthonyg638]

I was there. It didn't take as long as this will.

[@tressteleg1]

@@anthonyg638 👍

[@geoffreyhansen8543]

It's great to see how the project is going.

[@tressteleg1]

Yes, except for the fact that it is progressing incredibly slowly. At this rate it will take years and years to get finished.

[@darrenhaines1]

THIS LOOKS EPIC! you guys are so lucky to be getting light rail! Can’t wait until it’s finished!!

[@tressteleg1]

True. I usually ride most of the line twice each week, the northern stop being within walking distance of my house, a walk at the other end to my venue. Those opposed to this and the next extension will soon find out its benefits. However unless the construction costs are savagely cut, stage 4 looks increasingly unlikely, especially if the LNP/Liberals win the state election in a few weeks.

[@darrenhaines1]

@@tressteleg1 yeah for sure Australia seems to have no idea how to build any infrastructure affordably.

[@tressteleg1]

@@darrenhaines1 I think the main problem is that there is nobody of engineering standard employed by governments or councils anymore who could recognise Gold plating even if it hit them in the face. So these charlatans get away with robbing blind governments at all levels.

[@MarcoPolo-q1t]

Is it true they are extending it from Robina or varsity lakes too tweed heads???

[@tressteleg1]

@ No. if it gets extended beyond Burleigh, it will be to the airport and hopefully on to Coolangatta. Any future connection would essentially be an east west run from the ‘main line’ north and south.

[@graememellor8319]

Ooh that'd be a fun drive in peak hour with all the roadworks, it should be good once it is up and running

[@tressteleg1]

@@graememellor8319 Yes, a nightmare. I did the south trip around 11:45am, return from Christine Ave around 2pm so you could see what it was like then.

[@camoz]

op is a typical gc local bitching about anything. It hasn’t been 3 years since this serious of construction has even taking place. Was very minimal and very little traffic interruptions till about 18 months ago. I genuinely impressed with the work done so far. Especially after the south coast m1

[@davidlang1125]

Do they have a thing against trees and shade in Queensland?

[@tressteleg1]

@@davidlang1125 Only in some areas.

[@heathertruskinger6214]

It will get finished..... I recently flew from Coolongatta to Perth. It was definitely easily catching public transport the whole way ... especially at 50 cents for the whole trip, it will be even better when I can the tram from Helensvale all the way, rather than switch to a bus at Broadbeach

[@tressteleg1]

@@heathertruskinger6214 Yes, I also use the tram and bus to get to the airport, and home again. Unfortunately if the LNP wins government later this month, the chance of it going beyond Burleigh is minimal.

[@heathertruskinger6214]

@@tressteleg1 🙏🤞

[@tressteleg1]

@@heathertruskinger6214 😊👍

[@trains3501]

If you believe that 50 cents per trip is going to stay you must be on the tram to LALA LAND

[@heathertruskinger6214]

@@trains3501 I am a pensioner. Even if it doesn't stay, where I currently live, I can easily walk to a bus stop, then use public transport to get to either Brisbane or Gold Coast airports. The fact that it's currently 50 cents, gives me more money to spend on other more important things.

[@jdcreswell440]

Great video today 😊thanks mate.

[@tressteleg1]

@@jdcreswell440 😊👍

[@peterausfranken]

I think the same people planed this line as they built the new airport in Berlin. Work started there in 1998 and it shoud be completed in 2006. Opening was a little bit later in 2019. Missed it a little bit😂

[@tressteleg1]

Good heavens! I thought Germany was much more organised than that! I didn’t think that they allow bumbling fools to do anything there, ha ha

[@peterausfranken]

@@tressteleg1 Another Thing. In Munich a second Metro Tunnel is be being bulit from the main train station to the east train station. For the olympic games in 1972 a tunnel was bulit within 5 years. Now work started in 2018 and they planed this to open in 2032.

[@tressteleg1]

@@peterausfranken Truly amazing. Is this forward planning for something not needed any sooner, or just bumbling, unlike previous competence?

[@sepruecom]

@@tressteleg1 well, back in the 70s there were less rules and building laws, they also cared less about archeological finds. Munich has a double-track Metro tunnel ("S-Bahn") that serves 7 rail lines with up to 30 trains per hour and way during peak (some trains also need to terminate before or after the tunnel, since there are not enough time slots in the tunnel). Back when those tunnels were designed, they expected 7 lines every 20 min peak traffic (so a maximum of 21 trains per hour). The tunnel is a bottle neck, it's overcrowded and (of course) also aging. The second tunnel was projected as an express Metro tunnel, including some regional rail from other major tows around Munich (Augsburg, Ingolstadt, Rosenheim amongst others). It's obviously quite expensive, so some people (and politicians) hesitate to spend that much money on public transport in general. Also there are alternative plans, e.g. subway to Pasing (u/c by now), so that subway route U5 would will the Metro trunk line Pasing - Ostbahnhof, albeit a few kilometers off the current Metro route, suggestions about a "South Ring" Metro service with a couple of new stations (parallel to existing long(er) distance train tracks), and so on. Also, the German tender system strongly emphasizes price over other criteria (while the EU requires tenders, the rules for those are up to the individual countries). So the cheapest bidder wins, starts working, quickly comes up with cost increases and the political carousel takes a few more turns. If you take a look at France, they also tender out their projects, those regularly finish under budget and in time. So that's a rather German thing with the tendering process there. Truth is, long term Munich will probably need all these projects. Whenever the current trunk line breaks down (or even worse, the entire train system into Munich Main Station ("Hauptbahnhof"), people cram on 26-38-metre-trams running every 10 minutes on route 19 (and that happens several times a year for the big breakdown, and several times a month for the trunk line breakdown). The subway will at least offer a bit better "carriage sizes" to replace trains (Munich Metro trains can be up to 210 metres long, the subway has 120 metre long trains, so it's still a snug fit, but better than the current situation). The second (and express) trunk route will enable express services to towns further out of the city, and perhaps even inner-city connections for some major big towns in Southern Bavaria (who today have to change at either Ostbahnhof of Main Station). And once they want to introduce 10-minute-headway (which for a city of this size would be absolute necessary), they will need to build the "South Ring" too. And of course the true issue with the system is the fact that they didn't build four tracks from the get-go. But then again, it was the 60s, and nobody thought the system would be that successful 30 years later... The subway system has the same issues: There are 3 trunk lines with 2 routes each, that split up outside the inner city (plus some peak services). Initially they were running every 10 minutes per route, with 5-minutes service during peak hours on some sections. Today many of the routes are overcrowded. Right now a new "U9" project is being built that will untangle U3 and U6 (and thus remove the "trunk" part of the routing). Something similar would be needed for the trunk of U1 and U2 too, and long term probably the remaining trunk of U4 and U5... Oh, and with trams they plan with 72 metre trams long term (up from 38 metres today), and also want to increase the width of the vehicles from 2,34 to 2,65 metres. They also need to build a new depot to house trams (also a discussion ongoing for decades), they now plan to build a depot around the main workshop. Right now, one well placed crash can keep almost all trams off the network (there is only one depot with one track connection), although at least the seven trams from the night network services will be available in the worst case. After that, all trams will still be stored on the eastern side of the river (hope nothing ever happens to the bridges connecting it to the "mainland"). And of course there is old Depot 3, which was closed some 30 years ago and is completely dismantled today. It's on the western side of the river, and they still don't know what do do with it. But they don't want to build a new depot there, they fear noise pollution for the nearby houses (despite the fact, that depots are usually built completely covered nowadays in Germany). Due to service increases, they will probably soon need a third depot, so right now the political carousel is turning about finding a proper location for that... And since we're talking about things taking forever, there are plans to run tram tracks through the "Englische Garten", a huge park in the north-east of the city. The park itself is a property of the state government (which is traditionally conservative), while the city is usually ruled by Labor. A number of Supercap trams were bought to run the park crossing without overhead catenary (they will probably be scrapped before the tracks are laid). The tracks should be made low profile, with a bicycle path next to it, and some other concession. All the while they are supposed to run along an existing bus road - it appears noisy diesel buses every 3 minutes during peak are better than much more silent trams...

[@tressteleg1]

@@sepruecom Thanks for all of that, even though nearly all of it is off-topic for the Gold Coast tram. However ‘cheapest no matter what’ seems to apply here. Sydney still has not settled the failed CAF tram matter with the maker, but continues buying that rubbish. Supercaps is the worst wire-free option. Newcastle NSW has that and trams must stop for about 35 seconds at every stop just to recharge, even if nobody wants to get on or off. One such tram ‘blew up’ and apparently CAF is still arguing about repair payment. On another matter, I have visited München several times in the past and have movie film from 1975 and video since then. I have not put any of it on KZbin as I need somebody familiar with the city to give me location names. Are you interested?

[@camoz]

things this huge take time, and always more then predicted. But will definitely ease traffic once it’s completed. It’s all people ever complain about

[@CrazyBulletShooter]

Its going to be impressive when It launches

[@tressteleg1]

@@CrazyBulletShooter Hopefully. Sure to increase public transport usage as the first 2 stages have done.

[@colinmay151]

Light rail, for all the cost and inconvenience during and post construction it has and will continue to achieve very little benefit for public transport . Its a vulnerable and inflexible 18th century tech vehicle along a route is more intended to slow and discourage vehicle use and justify urban renewal with increased residential density and height. Its a mode with the same number of seats as a double decker bus and covers the same distance slower than the BUS mode that is more worthy of invest and improve.

[@hypercomms2001]

One day I hope Victoria builds out more New tram lines out West from Melbourne....

[@tressteleg1]

@@hypercomms2001 The only new thing Victoria is building for the trams is a depot at Maidstone which is a short distance from the existing tram 82. Never heard of any push for anything else out west, except possibly the deviation of the 82 to a big shopping centre which it goes near.

[@timmyhexham9603]

The main road looks great that the over head cables are being sunk.

[@tressteleg1]

@@timmyhexham9603 I dare say, but I wonder if the total cost is unfairly being attributed to the cost of building the light rail?

[@timmyhexham9603]

@@tressteleg1 the cost is distributed over future generations. We have to stop looking at “us” and realise is for “all” .. it’s nothing personal 🤔

[@tressteleg1]

@@timmyhexham9603 I wasn’t saying that it was an undesirable project. My point was that this expense, if added to the expense of actually building the Tramway makes the Tramway construction costs sound even worse than they are which helps reduce the chance of stage 4 ever being laid. This policy of shifting Utilities out of the path of the tram track is of great benefit to utility owners, but I have to wonder whether they are getting their new installation for free, as they should at least be contributing something towards the cost which I suspect in many cases they are not.

[@timmyhexham9603]

@@tressteleg1 ah yes, I agree.. good point.

[@tressteleg1]

@@timmyhexham9603 👍👍

[@garygeorge-xw6vj]

Must be designed and built by the same people who built Edinburgh tram line stage 1

[@tressteleg1]

@@garygeorge-xw6vj Or essentially Hoodwinked by the same proprietary companies which make customers believe that a ridiculously fortified track base is necessary to support what are no more than present day tramcars.

[@ejandersen2878]

At least the new trams are here.

[@tressteleg1]

Yes, I rode 21 yesterday.

[@kevinthompson4494]

How far are they looking to extend the tram line to.

[@jdcreswell440]

Was going to Ask that question two.

[@tressteleg1]

@@kevinthompson4494 As you have seen, this stage will be to Burleigh Heads (and beach). If Stage 4 gets built, first goal is the airport, then Coolangatta (NSW border), around 13 km further away from Burleigh.

[@McArg_]

Wow I had no idea that they were that far along.

[@tressteleg1]

@@McArg_ Should be a lot more track after 3 months. Melbourne can lay 1 km in a little over one week.

[@sepruecom]

@@tressteleg1 but not "new track", where the entire groundwork has to be done too. It's much easier to exchange existing track rather than building new one...

[@tressteleg1]

@@sepruecom Once the trackbed has been prepared, tracklaying should be fast. That is not happening here. They started moving utilities in the way 3 years ago, so surely more than 350 metres should have been laid in 3 months. It is probably the French who have fooled our governments into believing the trackbed full of steel reinforcing is needed to carry ‘modern LRVs’ which in fact are no more than trams and which most German and other tramways run on their normal tram track.

[@tressteleg1]

@@sepruecom They have had three years preparing the trackbed for the laying of track but in three months have still only laid about 350 m.

[@sepruecom]

@@tressteleg1 those were quite "minimal-invasive" construction works for quite some time. When I visited in late 2022, there were only very few small constructions around the future line. From the video it seems a lot of the current construction is road work (afaik most, if not all of the new line will be in the middle of the road, so all construction left and right is pretty much building future car lanes before they start building tram tracks). Also, I believe, they first finished "three-laning" M1 (which runs more or less parallel to the Gold Coast Highway, which is now u/c). It would make sense to first get the detour done before diving into long(er) term construction work...

[@janssen995]

This is not done for Transport, it is done so more high-rises can get permission to be build. Consider 2 adults 2 children, middle of Surfers dragging suitcases to the light-rail; then paying 2,3 or 4 tickets to the airport. Taxi, Uber, Didi 1 price and door to door. Progress is not in years, looks more like in generations! 1 worker with a shovel + 5 supervisors + 15 to make the site save.

[@tressteleg1]

@@janssen995 So what is your solution to the rapidly growing population? Put a fence around the Gold Coast to keep them out? Build sprawling suburbs with single family housing chewing up bushland? Population density there would be too low to support anything better than our once an hour bus resulting in every adult in every house having to have a motorcar. Think of all the extra traffic when reaching a busy street! Building high rises along an efficient public transport corridor would Increase the chance of just needing one family motorcar. As for tourists, while it’s true that some have families who would use a taxi, there are many adults who are often seen on the tram with their suitcases. In fact in the middle of the day, like today, my trip home had several lots of people with their luggage heading towards Helensvale railway station. I totally agree that the progress on stage 3 is deplorable to the point where it is no surprise politicians are questioning the affordability of stage 4.

[@michaelhatton2477]

I thought the track laying was meant to be LESS over engineered than Sydney’s.

[@tressteleg1]

@@michaelhatton2477 They are all being duped by the same probably French overseas consultants pretending that light rail vehicles require special track more specialised than trams need. So cut how come five genuine LRVs from Mulhouse in France have been running on the 96 in Melbourne, some of whose track was laid in 1955 without any steel in it? And they have not smashed it to pieces?

[@shaungordon9737]

​@@tressteleg1the ride quality in Melbourne is pretty bad

[@tressteleg1]

@@shaungordon9737 I suppose you are suggesting the trams. I haven’t found anywhere where buses give a smoother ride. And they are the only alternative for street public transport.

[@tressteleg1]

@shaungordon9737 You mean to say that Melbourne buses give a better ride? That would be a world first.

[@dennisbailey6067]

What those billions could have done elsewhere.And it's many years before it gets to Burleigh let alone Palm beach let alone Coolangatta.Buses could have done the same job.

[@tressteleg1]

@@dennisbailey6067 The track could have been laid much more efficiently and cheaply and still done the job. Whether the contractor is operating efficiently is another question. What you don’t understand is that people don’t like riding buses. Their operation is always erratic along the coast and you never know when they will turn up whereas it’s unusual for a tram to be more than one or two minutes late. Most usually right on time.

[@dennisbailey6067]

The cost does not justify the outcome.​@@tressteleg1

[@colinmay151]

@@tressteleg1 Yes,,, we have become a country of BUS snobs with LR costing a whopping 1300,000,000 for GCLR3 plus the lost of roadway,,,, But the reality is NOTHING is done to truly improve buses and market / promote their value and complete the rail with better integration

[@DenisHauvillle]

With the name tressteleg I assume you were once a telegraphist and used the Teleprinter Electronic Switching System in PMG days and later? I was a PC using printers from the beginning of TRESS in NSW. You? Later I worked on Melbourne trams as conductor and driver.

[@tressteleg1]

@@DenisHauvillle That is very smart of you! In 1968 I did my PC training at Strathfield. After I had been out in the field for awhile, because I had my Third Division I was soon acting SPC1 in smaller offices but except for Killara, the printer was always operated by a PC. Most offices however only had a telephone connection for telegram. At Killara on rare occasions I had to send a telegram when the PC was at lunch. I wish I had more experience on it. Even more of a coincidence was that in 1987 I moved to Melbourne to work on the trams and after starting at Brunswick moved to South Melbourne which was expanding due to the light rail, and did my driver training late 88. I never intended staying in Melbourne forever, so when Kennett started interfering badly with operations, I quit and retired to Queensland. As for the teleprinters, I have a collection of my own and they are all in working order. You will find a couple of relevant videos in this link. Teleprinters - Telex - Telegraphy - Telephones kzbin.info/aero/PLLtOIHp49XNAKS7BxlbgYN__1xfLSBP75

[@tanktoptom9080]

i just wish they had of also included a separated bike path along the whole corridor instead of keeping on street parking, seems like a missed opportunity

[@tressteleg1]

@@tanktoptom9080 I don’t usually go down that way so I can’t really comment. However until a section is completed, we can’t be sure what they will and won’t provide for bikes.

[@malcolmone1]

why cannot they work in stages ,get it finished ,then do next stage ,it just seems roadworks go on forever

[@tressteleg1]

@@malcolmone1 Good question. There seems to be no attempt to minimise the worksite or disruption to adjacent businesses. Not to mention maintain two lanes of traffic in each direction. When stage 1 was done through Southport and further down the coast, largely the worksite was confined to the width of the tramway reservation and no more. The current lot takes over just about the whole road apparently simply because they can.

[@GeoffLawler]

Labor Gov. right there! Contractors being paid by time not job!

[@GeoffLawler]

.... Oh but look at our employment figures for the year. x and for the year. y .. & so on & so on. Yeah right. meanwhile we're living in ever lasting shite!

[@tressteleg1]

@@GeoffLawler Well contractors are experts at robbing all governments. Just check out all the shenanigans and expenses that the NSW LIBERALS got ripped off with the George St tramway. Part of the problem is that consultants and contractors have fooled all governments into believing that ‘light rail’ is something different and more complicated than what they are - just the evolution of European trams that were running before 1900.

[@trainingtheworld5093]

Stop whinging. It's being built on a very busy main Highway. There are underground pipes, cables, traffic signals that need to be relocated.

[@tressteleg1]

@@trainingtheworld5093 Those works started THREE YEARS AGO and still are not finished. How long do you think they should have? If the track laying method were not so ridiculously complicated, progress could be much faster - if they wanted to do it faster.

[@trainingtheworld5093]

@@io4439 Yet another old whinger.

[@vsvnrg3263]

@@tressteleg1 , ive noticed that rail track works in australia seem to take too long too. i will blame poor bureaucracy and politicians not being sharp enough to spot unnecessary "gold plating" by the contractors. governments are giant honey-pots of money. and also tertiary educated bosses who have never developed callouses on their hands. as you have pointed out in previous videos, melbourne has some good tram track building methods.

[@peregrinemccauley5010]

Really? Wow.

[@tressteleg1]

@@vsvnrg3263 Years ago governments had their own full-time competent engineers in various fields. Because their jobs relied on it, they had to carefully ensure that governments got value for money. Then governments decided it was cheaper to hire consultants when needed rather than pay for their own engineers, and of course these consultants had no responsibility to act in state interests. I have seen examples where governments at all levels have been ripped off by unscrupulous contractors and consultants as they have nobody to inform them of how they are being duped.

[@colinmay151]

Airports should be connected with fast heavy Rail to drive growth,,, NOT a slow tram that only replaces an existing bus. The 1 hour 50 minute tram ride from GC airport to Helensvale is unrideable. Rail would connect the 2 in 29 minutes making it quicker to get to Main beach from airport via heavy rail and bus or tram

[@tressteleg1]

@@colinmay151 I suspect that you have never ridden the tram, and would not use a bus in a fit, so there is no point discussing the matter further.

[@colinmay151]

@@tressteleg1 Don't assume and use that you never use excuse just to avoid discussing ,,, Point out where i am wrong and i will explain. You should welcome debate especially someone who lived overseas for 16 years without a car reliant on public transport. I know what works and what does not work so well.

[@liamjohnson5332]

You do realise that prior to any track work, all existing services are being upgraded first? Thats your storm water, water, overheads are all going underground. It's not as simple as just throwing some tram tracks onto the alignment then hey presto

[@tressteleg1]

@@liamjohnson5332 They have been moving services for three years before trackwork started and in three months have still only laid 350 m of track. By any standards, this is the deplorably slow. Is it any wonder that politicians are questioning the affordability and desirability of stage 4? Stages 1 also with difficult streets with underground services, was built much more quickly.

[@grahamearley1820]

Early 2027 is my guess.

[@tressteleg1]

@@grahamearley1820 I’m not brave enough to even hazard a guess. I was at Mermaid on Monday, a week after I took those roadside photos and it seemed that absolutely no track completing had been done in that time.

[@grahamearley1820]

@@tressteleg1 In relation to this project, i wouldn't know what day of the week it was, just threw my hat into the ring of guesses.

[@tressteleg1]

@@grahamearley1820 it would be unwise for anyone to even guess when it might be finished at this rate. Certainly it could have been finished much sooner than it will be.

[@AnarchyEnsues]

would of been smarter to do designated high capacity bus lanes up the middle of the road... but thats not as fashionable as trams.

[@tressteleg1]

@@AnarchyEnsues Nothing to do with fashion. For a start, a major cost of public transport is drivers, and the GC tram carries significantly more people than even a Brisbane Metro bus can carry. Additionally the tram is by far the most punctual street public transport here. People dislike the way buses throw passengers around, besides the bumps and thumps over every little ripple in the road. Just ride one of the Brisbane busways to experience the discomforts. Worldwide, when trams replace buses, ridership increases significantly, when buses replace trams, many prefer to use their cars instead of the buses.

[@AnarchyEnsues]

@@tressteleg1 i disagree, for starters, when buses replace trams, they generally dont replace track with dedicated bus lanes. with dedicated bus lanes the difference is minimal. yeah you might ditch the bus if you are in the same congestion as a car, but if you are in a separated bus lanes, its different. tram tracks are inherently inflexible, you will forever just have the one main track, any add on routes will take decades to connect to the main tram route. dedicated center bus lanes, you can join and exit bus routes i recommend you look at the korean bus system through the city, the bus ways go down all the main roads with busway stations down the center.

[@tressteleg1]

@ Believe what you like, but people don’t like riding buses. They only do it because there is no alternative.

[@AnarchyEnsues]

​@@tressteleg1 why is there no alternative? stage 4 of light rail is projected to cost over 3-6 billion, this current stage is 1+ billion. its expensive and hard to intergrate into the existing network. like it or not, cost and use of existing infrastructure is going to make buses the next major advance in public transport. with the use of modern smart technology, being picked up from your door step and delivered to your destinations door step is what is need, these fixed models of mass transit can serve a purpose, but is it value for money? can it be better and cheaper?

[@AnarchyEnsues]

the reason light rail is working so far is because of all the high rises along the strip. its got a density of customers. its useless for the majority of GC residents.

[@jyfoord]

Question, Are you an engineer or Builder? If not don't critisize!

[@tressteleg1]

@@jyfoord No, but I think outside the square, and have seen other systems that work. With no government employed engineers to overview projects, contractors can do what they like.

[@anthonyg638]

There are these new things called buses. You can get them in Hybrid, Diesel, LPG, Hydrogen and Electric (either battery or via overhead power lines). You can actually use them on an existing road without having tear apart those same roads that are needed for people who can afford this other new thing called a car. Amazingly, this new invention called the bus can drive up and down the Gold Coast Highway and do the exact same thing as a tram. Now wait for this bit, the bus can actually leave the highway and go out to the suburbs, yes even the one that uses overhead power lines as it now comes with battery backup for short trips off the main line. Oh , and all those who are saying it will be awesome when its finished, tell that to the business owners it sent broke on the highway during construction.

[@tressteleg1]

@@anthonyg638 Sounds like you are quite out of touch with riding both buses and the tram on the Gold Coast. The ride quality of buses is terrible, banging and rattling along roads of doubtful quality, driven by drivers more at home driving heavy gravel trucks. Standing, you hang on for dear life. Timekeeping on the buses is terrible. Theoretical timetable spacing does not last long. That contrasts with much smoother riding on trams whose punctuality is rarely more than a minute or 2 late. As for the little electric buses serving the airport for around 2 years, besides them being little quieter than diesel buses, they also feel every bump in the road just like a diesel. Twice those little buses have left me wanting. Early last year I had to stand all the way Airport to Broadbeach. Not fun for somebody nearing the age of 80. Then this year several people as well as myself were bluntly told by the bus driver we had to wait the 15 minutes to the next bus. They are hopeless when a plane lands. You must be an LNP supporter. They only see the cheapest option for any transport problem.

[@anthonyg638]

😍

[@tressteleg1]

@@anthonyg638 I got your second email but it is not amongst Comments.

[@cannadineboxill-harris2983]

Hi there Again my name is Mr Cannadine T. Boxill-Harris I was wondering, why couldn't you find nice fresh shiny Leyland Titan B15s and Repaint them to a Grey Green Color just like the original Scania Grey Green which was in the East London bus route's such as 125, 20, 141, 275, 24, 66, 167, 173, 313 and also the bus route 103, if you guy would like to find about 17 Leyland Titan B15's, Pretty Please? oh, could you also Please Repaint them in the Exact Grey Green Bus Colour’s for us Grey Green Leyland Titan B15 Bus lovers Pretty Please? because it will be Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Interesting Buses to see them Repainted to a Grey Green Colour and I am a Big Fan of all of us Grey Green Leyland Titan B15 Bus lovers Please Thank You Very Very Very Very Very Very Very much for your time, help and support? 😉😉😉😄👍😅👏👏😅👍😉👏😉😅😉😀😅😀😉😀😉😀😀😀😀😀😀😀😉😀😅😀😉😀😅😀😉👏👏

[@tressteleg1]

@@cannadineboxill-harris2983 Hi Mr Boxill-Harris, all I can assume is that somewhere you saw a bus of interest to yourself. Actually I thought we dumped British bus equipment decades ago after buying some real rubbishy Leylands, the Nationals I think they were. I have no interest in buses. They are just an inferior form of transport which lurch and rattle their way along roads where there is insufficient demand for a tram line. As for colour schemes, as we are no longer a British colony (not since 1901) so the state government is free to paint vehicles in whatever colours they want 😆 😆😁😆

[@briannem.6787]

I don't think that this Australian man has the money to buy a specific bus, very few of which exist in Australia, just to repaint in the colour that you like. Though even if you did message somebody that owned these buses, adding more "very" and "pretty please" isn't really going to get the paint changed. What you want to do is talk to other bus fans in your area and write a letter with them asking your local bus company nicely to consider repainting one when it needs a repaint next. You will probably fail though, because private bus companies want to show off their paint schemes and don't want to do heritage schemes that don't advertise them.

[@tressteleg1]

@@briannem.6787 True, the last thing I would spend my money on is buying some old bus. And there would certainly be no incentive to paint it in colours that were never used here.

[@t4N9410oR]

@@tressteleg1 I grew up in Southport, and remember when the Leyland Nationals were brand new in the Surfside Busline fleet in the mid 1970s. Those Leylands were a big step up in comfort and space for passengers back then. They weren't rubbish. As for Gold Coast buses from that time which did match your description of what suburban buses were like, the antiquated junk which Smekel's Buses used, flawlessly fits that image. From memory, Smekel's had their depot at the corner of Garden and Lawson Streets in Southport.

[@tressteleg1]

@@t4N9410oR I had the impression that there were problems with them in Melbourne and when I just did a check, apparently the early ones had reliability problems. Maybe that’s what Melbourne got. Nevertheless buses are of no interest to me. I regularly use my local Gold Coast tram, sometimes supplemented bybus if necessary.

[@trains3501]

What is the cost per klm of this I have heard 343 million dollars?

[@tressteleg1]

@@trains3501 Total cost is $1.2 billion but that includes 5 new trams and 3 depot storage tracks.

[@colinmay151]

@@tressteleg1 Keeping counting !!!!