GOLD COAST LIGHT RAIL: QUEENSLAND'S FIRST LRT PROJECT

摘要

The Gold Coast is one of Australia's fastest growing cities, and the mounting population is causing increasing congestion on our local road network with travel times in Southport, Surfers Paradise and Broadbeach expected to increase by 30% by 2016 compared with 2006 figures. As there are no new major roads planned for the coastal corridor, the introduction of a sustainable public transport network is vital to keep the city moving. The idea for an enhanced public transport system for the Gold Coast is not new. Proposals for rapid transit were developed as part of the Gold Coast City Council's Transport Plan released in 1998, with the aim of reducing traffic congestion and helping to meet the Government's target of 12% of journeys to use public transport. Prior to the project, only 3.1% of journeys in the region are by public transport. Further to this, the environmental benefits of the first phase are anticipated to reduce local greenhouse gas emissions by 114 000 tonnes over the first decade of operation as well as enabling the creation of around 6300 direct and indirect jobs.