G Link tram extension to Helensvale Station.
Posted: Thu Dec 21, 2017 11:13 pm
The new 7.3klm extension runs parallel to Smith street motorway to Parkwood and then parallel to the Gold Coast railway to Helensvale for the 11 minute trip.. The tram gauge is 1.435m as opposed to QR which is 1.067.
The extension to Helensvale Station from the Gold Coast University Hospital leaves the underground platforms at GCUH though a short tunnel and emerges at the surface to cross Olsen Avenue and Parklands Drive at a complex set of traffic lights with signals for Trams, road vehicles, bicycles and pedestrians. (Allow 10 minutes if you need to cross Olsen Avenue and Parklands Drive.) In the tunnel there is an unusual double turnout to the sidings along side Olsen Avenue. The points are in the tunnel and a double sets of rails continues on until they branch to the right to the sidings at the surface. This may be because a tram entering the sidings would otherwise activate the traffic signals to give clearance across Olsen Avenue. The trams run on their own dedicated tracks all the way to Helensvale, except where they cross Napper road and Olsen Avenue, and can travel at their maximum of 70klm in many sections.
The Parkwood East and Parkwood stations are unmanned but Helensvale has several G Link personnel in attendance. The stations have extensive signage- maps of the area around the station, buying tickets, Go card touch on and off and system maps. Unlike the buses, where the driver automatically opens the doors, passengers need to press the button on the door of trams or get left behind. The landscaping is not yet finished around the stations and the pedestrian foot bridge over Smith Street motorway is under construction.
The extension to Helensvale Station from the Gold Coast University Hospital leaves the underground platforms at GCUH though a short tunnel and emerges at the surface to cross Olsen Avenue and Parklands Drive at a complex set of traffic lights with signals for Trams, road vehicles, bicycles and pedestrians. (Allow 10 minutes if you need to cross Olsen Avenue and Parklands Drive.) In the tunnel there is an unusual double turnout to the sidings along side Olsen Avenue. The points are in the tunnel and a double sets of rails continues on until they branch to the right to the sidings at the surface. This may be because a tram entering the sidings would otherwise activate the traffic signals to give clearance across Olsen Avenue. The trams run on their own dedicated tracks all the way to Helensvale, except where they cross Napper road and Olsen Avenue, and can travel at their maximum of 70klm in many sections.
The Parkwood East and Parkwood stations are unmanned but Helensvale has several G Link personnel in attendance. The stations have extensive signage- maps of the area around the station, buying tickets, Go card touch on and off and system maps. Unlike the buses, where the driver automatically opens the doors, passengers need to press the button on the door of trams or get left behind. The landscaping is not yet finished around the stations and the pedestrian foot bridge over Smith Street motorway is under construction.