Gold Coast Airport to be upgraded

[Deleted member 29185]

GC Bulletin had a story about the long awaited airport upgrade.

Good news is that the GC Airport executives have at last swallowed their tongues and are agreeing to aerobridges! I must say, I won't miss that "regional" experience of walking through rain like they used to espouse. Thank God sanity has prevailed but the arrogant jerks still make the claim "we are considering air bridges, however this will come down to our negotiations with our airline passengers". This is one of their passengers that wouldn't have any problem with unambiguously letting them know what most people think about their "Gold Coast experience" aka tight ar*e attitude.

They are also stating that both light and heavy rail will be included, which is fabulous, as that means a very rapid connection to both Brisbane destinations as well as GC destinations. I've ridden the light rail a few times now and it does seem to work better than I had expected. It is good that traffic lights give the trams a clear run without really stopping (or at least it appeared that way). It'll make them the quickest means of transport to Broadbeach/Surfers.

 

[yohy?!]

GC Bulletin had a story about the long awaited airport upgrade.

Good news is that the GC Airport executives have at last swallowed their tongues and are agreeing to aerobridges! I must say, I won't miss that "regional" experience of walking through rain like they used to espouse. Thank God sanity has prevailed but the arrogant jerks still make the claim "we are considering air bridges, however this will come down to our negotiations with our airline passengers". This is one of their passengers that wouldn't have any problem with unambiguously letting them know what most people think about their "Gold Coast experience" aka tight ar*e attitude.

They are also stating that both light and heavy rail will be included, which is fabulous, as that means a very rapid connection to both Brisbane destinations as well as GC destinations. I've ridden the light rail a few times now and it does seem to work better than I had expected. It is good that traffic lights give the trams a clear run without really stopping (or at least it appeared that way). It'll make them the quickest means of transport to Broadbeach/Surfers.

good to hear, i thought it incredible that with the commonwealth games coming they would continue with things as they are!

proper heavy rail links to brisbane to the coast would be a boon for the GC also.

 

[TomVexille]

Does this mean fares to OOL will become more expensive?

 

[Limewood]

Taxi industry will lose a bucket load of dosh when LR goes to OOL.

And how convenient this brilliant rail system is

 

[samh004]

From my reading of that article, first thing to get the treatment will probably be a carpark facility to gouge existing customers. Following that will be the international terminal, to the South. Finally, they'll get to the domestic side of things. Considering the plan wont be out for 2 years, and the Commonwealth Games is in 2018, none of this will be ready for that, and in fact it'll likely cause congestion around that time that no one needs.

Additionally, heavy rail beyond Varsity Lakes looks to be blocked by 2 quarries and a whole load of residential housing built very close to the motorway. While light rail would probably be defeated by the rather large hill at Currumbin, if it were to follow the coastal route.

proper heavy rail links to brisbane to the coast would be a boon for the GC also.

I think if they did manage to connect OOL then they should consider an even better express service to BNE than the one currently offered, as the 2 stops after Beenleigh before Brisbane really slow things down already... I think an OOL to Brisbane City service shouldn't take more than an hour. The current reality would be closer to 2 hours.

 

[QFflyermelbourne]

I think if they did manage to connect OOL then they should consider an even better express service to BNE than the one currently offered, as the 2 stops after Beenleigh before Brisbane really slow things down already... I think an OOL to Brisbane City service shouldn't take more than an hour. The current reality would be closer to 2 hours.

Trouble is that is totally impractical without building a whole new line from Beenleigh to brisbane. The windy and suburban nature of the current one ensure low average speeds on a lot of it and the two stops it makes don't really add that much in reality. The other problem is you're contending with following the all stops train that is only ever marginally ahead. No way to get around that short of building a whole new track in a less dense and straighter path. All but impossible.

 

[Jacques Vert]

The other problem is you're contending with following the all stops train that is only ever marginally ahead. No way to get around that short of building a whole new track in a less dense and straighter path. All but impossible.

Or by adding another track alongside within the existing right of way, or by adding a few passing loops; all do-able at a price.

 

[yohy?!]

with the amount of oversupply in housing about to happen in the GC hopefully there is enough pressure on government to get on with a commutable link to Brisbane CBD

 

[Deleted member 29185]

hopefully there is enough pressure on government to get on with a commutable link to Brisbane CBD

I didn't realise you were a comedian yohy. Gold coast is usually off the radar no matter which flavour Gov't is currently keeping the benches warm. Being a very conservative region, Labour ignores it and LNP takes it for granted.

 

[JohnK]

Good to see OOL airport get an upgrade.

Currently it takes ~2 hours from Brisbane City to OOL with train/bus. Painless. Not so easy the other way after 7:00pm.

 

[aussieboozer]

They need to upgrade the air traffic control systems first. During the recent scare with cyclone Marcia the domestic airlines cancelled all flights to Gold Coast for a period of time and supposedly it was because the airport lacks some type of equipment that allows landings in bad weather conditions. I was on the coast at the time and the weather was no more than a rainy day with a light wind. Weather conditions were worse in Brisbane but no cancelled flights there. It caused a major inconvenience to several hundred people I know who were due to participate in an event that started on Saturday only to be told that there Friday flights were cancelled and they couldn't get another flight until Sunday. Some were able to reroute via Brisbane but others missed the first 2 days of the conference.

 

[paulthegolfer]

still waiting for ILS