Transport delivers for the Games and leaves lasting legacy for the Gold Coast

The transport task for the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games (GC2018) has crossed the finish line with a gold-medal performance.

A total of more than 7 million estimated trips were taken across the course of the event.

More than 5.5 million of those were made on the public transport network, with all modes posting record passenger numbers.

The Pacific Motorway (M1) at Coomera River saw an increase in the total volume of cars compared with the average for a school holiday period and the road network operated largely incident free.

Transport and Main Roads Minister Mark Bailey said almost $1 billion was spent to improve the transport network to ensure it would cater for the expected GC2018 demand.

“The Palaszczuk Government delivered $1 billion in public infrastructure to ensure the Gold Coast was set up for success during the Games.

“Additional improvements such as the Gooding Drive roundabout improvement works and the extension of the light rail network to Helensvale provide a real legacy and will continue delivering for the Gold Coast.”

Mr Bailey said public transport services were boosted with 24/7 operations on heavy rail and light rail.  

“Many temporary initiatives, including transport hubs, park ‘n’ rides and shuttle buses, helped spectators get to and from their events.

“The increased services, seamless connections and free transport for ticketed spectators helped deliver a record number of journeys on the public transport network.

Mr Bailey said the Palaszczuk Government delivered smart investment in the Gold Coast’s transport network and made public transport more attractive by offering turn-up-and-go timetables.

“GC2018 has been a challenge like no other and it was critical the transport network was able to respond to the more than 1.2 million ticketed spectators attending events as well as accommodating business as usual travel,” Mr Bailey said.

“We were confident transport would deliver, we planned for a range of eventualities and built in extra capacity so we could be responsive and flexible where needed.”

He said the G:link was one of the star performers of the GC2018 with trams carrying more than 1.1 million passengers.

“The G:link service was carrying close to 100,000 passengers a day which is nearly four times the daily average since the opening of stage two of the light rail project.

“The Surfside bus network delivered across the length and breadth of the Gold Coast, with about 2.3 million passenger journeys.

“Queensland Rail estimated the number of passenger trips to be more than 600,000 on the Gold Coast line.

“And the dedicated event shuttle bus network, which connected the park ‘n’ rides and transport hubs to Games venues, carried over 1.5 million spectators.”

Mr Bailey said the M1 and local road network exceeded expectations, with limited congestion for athletes, officials and spectators travelling during the Games.

“The performance of the local road network and the M1 has been critical to the success of GC2018 and I am incredibly pleased we were able to keep the roads running and avoid the gridlock that many had predicted,” he said.

“I would like to thank Gold Coasters for changing their usual travel habits to help deliver a successful GC2018.”

ENDS

Media contact: Brock Taylor, 0427018178