Gold Coast railway line

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The Gold Coast line is an interurban commuter railway line in South East Queensland. Operated by Queensland Rail, the line runs for 88.5 kilometres (55 miles) from Varsity Lakes to Roma Street, where services continue on the Airport line.

Gold Coast line
NGR761
NGR 761 arriving at Varsity Lakes in 2019
Overview
StatusOperational
OwnerQueensland Rail
LocaleGold Coast
Termini
Stations18 (19 post-Merrimac opening)
Service
TypeCommuter rail
SystemQueensland Rail Citytrain network
OperatorQueensland Rail
Rolling stockNGR
History
Opened26 February 1996; 30 years ago (26 February 1996)
Technical
Number of tracks2 (Roma StreetSouth Brisbane)
3 (South BrisbaneKuraby)
2 (KurabyVarsity Lakes)
Track gauge1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Electrification25 kV 50 Hz AC overhead lines, installed from 1996–2009
Route map
Gold Coast railway line
km
2.7
Bowen Hills
(1)
1.3
Fortitude Valley
(1)
0.0
Central
(1)
0.8
Roma Street
(1)
Peel Street
2.6
South Brisbane
(1)
3.5
South Bank
(1)
4.3
5.1
Boggo Road
(1)
Express stops
5.9
Dutton Park
(1)
7.1
Fairfield
(1)
8.5
Yeronga
(1)
9.3
Yeerongpilly
(1/2)
10.6
Moorooka
(2)
Sherwood Rd/Muriel Ave
11.6
Rocklea
(2)
13.0
Salisbury
(2)
Riawena Road
15.2
Coopers Plains
(2)
Boundary Road
16.7
Banoon
(2)
17.6
Sunnybank
(2)
Mains Road
18.6
Altandi
(2)
Express stops
19.8
Runcorn
(2)
21.2
Fruitgrove
(2)
22.5
Kuraby
(2)
Beenleigh Road
Compton Road
25.8
Trinder Park
(2)
26.8
Woodridge
(2)
Wembley Road
Kingston Road
29.5
Kingston
(2/3)
32.2
Loganlea
(3)
Express stops
35.2
Bethania
(3)
36.9
Edens Landing
(3)
39.1
Holmview
(3)
Logan River Road
Boundary Street
39.6
Beenleigh (original)
40.1
Beenleigh
(3)
47.7
Ormeau Stabling Yard (opening 2026)
52.5
Ormeau
(4)
54.9
Pimpama
(4)
59.5
Coomera
(4)
62.9
Hope Island
(4)
Hope Island Road
68.2
Helensvale
(5)
75.9
Nerang
(5)
Nielsens Road
82.4
Merrimac
(5) (opening 2026)
85.3
Robina
(5)
89.4
Varsity Lakes
(6)
Tallebudgera
(proposed)
Elanora
(proposed)
Tugun
(proposed)
Coolangatta
(proposed)

The line was opened in February 1996, running from Beenleigh to Helensvale. It was extended twice in the late 1990s before a further extension in 2009 to its current terminus of Varsity Lakes. Since December 2017, the G:link light rail system has been connected to the railway at Helensvale station.

History

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Background

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The Beenleigh railway line opened in 1885 and was extended to Southport in 1889 as the South Coast line.[1][2] A branch line to Tweed Heads in New South Wales was opened on 10 August 1903, with the first regular passenger train making the journey from Brisbane one month later.[3][4] Because of the increasing popularity of the motor car, the Tweed Heads branch closed in 1961 and the line from Beenleigh to Southport closed in 1964.

New line

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The new Gold Coast line opened on 26 February 1996, running from Brisbane to Helensvale. It was built an extension of the Beenleigh line, running on a different alignment than the South Coast line. It was extended to Nerang in 1997, and Robina in 1998.

In 2009, the line was further extended to Varsity Lakes.[5] Before an upgrade in 2010, many passengers had to stand for much of the journey during peak-hour services.[6]

Duplication works commenced in stages throughout the 2000s and 2010s. The final section to be duplicated was between Coomera and Helensvale, with work completed in late 2017 and the new track operational in 2018.[7]

As part of the Cross River Rail project, three new stations were added to the Gold Coast line: Pimpama (opened in October 2025), Hope Island (opened in May 2026) and Merrimac (scheduled to open in 2026).[8]

Proposed extensions

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A proposal to extend the line to the Gold Coast Airport terminal has existed in the airport's master plans since 2001.[9] It was included in the South East Queensland Infrastructure Plan and Program of the Bligh Labor government, which was released in 2011.[10] The airport's 2024 master plan stated that "the extension of heavy rail to Gold Coast Airport would provide further stimulus for promoting travel to and from the precinct via public transport".[9]

In addition to Gold Coast Airport, three additional stations are planned at Tallebudgera, Elanora and Tugun, as part of a proposal to extend the line from Varsity Lakes.[11]

Network and operations

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Services

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Typical service frequency on the Gold Coast line is two trains per hour, with additional services running in peak hours.[12] The timetabled travel time between Varsity Lakes and Roma Street station in Brisbane is approximately 83 minutes.[12]

Route

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Trains travel express between Boggo Road and Beenleigh, with stops at Altandi and Loganlea on the Beenleigh line.[12] Most trains from the Gold Coast run through to Brisbane Airport as the Airtrain service, stopping at the International and Domestic terminals.[12]

Prior to 20 January 2014, services on the Gold Coast Line travelled express between South Bank and Beenleigh, stopping only at Boggo Road, Coopers Plains and Loganlea during off-peak hours.

The line will use Cross River Rail once the project is completed, stopping at three new stations in Brisbane's inner city.[13]

Stations

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Station Image Suburb Opened Terrain Time[a]
Roma Street
Brisbane 14 June 1875 Ground level 0
South Brisbane
South Brisbane 1884 Elevated 5
South Bank
South Brisbane 21 December 1893 Elevated 7
Boggo Road
Dutton Park 21 December 1891 Ground level 10
Altandi
Sunnybank 18 July 1933 Ground level 25
Loganlea
Loganlea 9 April 1885 Ground level 38
Beenleigh
Beenleigh 27 July 1885 Elevated 48
Ormeau
Pimpama 29 February 1996 Lowered 55
Pimpama
Pimpama 20 October 2025 Lowered 58
Coomera
Coomera 25 February 1996 Elevated 62
Hope Island
Helensvale 18 May 2026 Elevated 64
Helensvale
Helensvale 25 February 1996 Lowered 69
Nerang
Nerang 16 December 1997 Elevated 73
Merrimac
Merrimac 2026 (scheduled) Lowered
Robina
Robina 31 May 1998 Lowered 79
Varsity Lakes
Varsity Lakes 13 December 2009 Lowered 83

See also

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Notes

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  1. Travel time in minutes from Roma Street.

References

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  1. "THE SOUTHPORT RAILWAY". The Brisbane Courier. 25 January 1889. p. 6. Retrieved 30 May 2026.
  2. "SOUTHPORT RAILWAY OPENING". The Brisbane Courier. 23 January 1909. p. 5. Retrieved 30 May 2026.
  3. "VISITORS FROM NEW SOUTH WALES". The Brisbane Courier. 11 August 1903. p. 5. Retrieved 30 May 2026.
  4. "Tweed Railway". The Telegraph. 14 September 1903. p. 7. Retrieved 30 May 2026.
  5. Stolz, Greg (14 December 2009). "Robina-Varsity Lakes rail extension state's most expensive". The Courier Mail. Archived from the original on 11 August 2011. Retrieved 30 May 2026.
  6. Potts, Andrew (2 December 2007). "All aboard the Bombay Express". The Courier Mail. Archived from the original on 6 December 2007. Retrieved 30 May 2026.
  7. Trad, Jackie (3 October 2017). "$163M Gold Coast rail upgrade complete well ahead of Commonwealth Games". Queensland Government. Archived from the original on 7 December 2017. Retrieved 30 May 2026.
  8. "Gold Coast – New Stations". Cross River Rail. Archived from the original on 27 August 2020. Retrieved 30 May 2026.
  9. 1 2 "Master Plan 2024" (PDF). Gold Coast Airport. 2024. p. 78. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 March 2024. Retrieved 30 May 2026.
  10. "Connecting SEQ 2031" (PDF). Queensland Government. 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 October 2022. Retrieved 30 May 2026.
  11. "Three New Train Stations Confirmed for the Gold Coast". The Urban Developer. 16 September 2019. Archived from the original on 10 May 2021. Retrieved 30 May 2026.
  12. 1 2 3 4 "Gold Coast and Airport line" (PDF). Translink. 18 May 2026. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 May 2026. Retrieved 29 May 2026.
  13. Stone, Lucy (1 August 2022). "Gold Coast, Beenleigh rail users face major changes as Brisbane's Cross River Rail network is revealed". ABC News. Archived from the original on 4 August 2022. Retrieved 30 May 2026.
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