Throughout the consultation phase of the project, two modes of rapid transit were investigated in detail: bus rapid and light rail.  The vehicles were compared against a number of criteria including capacity, passenger comfort, reliability, safety, sustainability and value for money. While both modes proved competitive, light rail was deemed the preferred choice for the Gold Coast community because:

• light rail vehicles can carry up to 100 000 passengers per day — these figures cannot be matched by bus rapid transit
• the length and capacity of light rail vehicles can be increased to meet the demands of the Gold Coast’s fast-growing population
• light rail technology has a proven vehicle life of 30 years or more
• over time, operating a light rail system provides better value for money than operating a bus rapid transit system
• light rail provides superior levels of passenger comfort when compared with other modes of transport
• the Gold Coast community showed strong support for light rail over bus rapid transit.

Download the light rail public transport fact sheet [Adobe Acrobat PDF - 491.35 KB].