Extra Gold Coast train to ease pain (22/04/10)
A new rail-bus package, which rolls out next week, is about to make the daily grind from the Gold Coast to Brisbane a whole lot easier for thousands of commuters.
From next Tuesday, a new early morning train will run between Varsity Lakes and Brisbane Airport, adding an extra 2250 seats weekly between the two centres and helping ease congestion on peak-hour services.
It follows a major review of public transport and is the first stage of a package that includes a revamp of bus services, particularly across the southern Gold Coast.
The new $11 million, six-carriage train will leave Varsity Lakes at 4.34am each day from next Tuesday and arrive in Brisbane before 6am and Brisbane Airport before 6.30am.
From late June, connecting bus services will run from Gold Coast Airport at Coolangatta to Varsity Lakes, meaning, for the first time, passengers can travel from the NSW border to Brisbane city and the airport, with just one change.
As well, there will be extra feeder buses for key hubs, more services on the western side of the rail line to meet the needs of schoolchildren, and new routes into expanding residential areas.
