Re: Robina-Coolangatta extension "essential"

[Barry Campbell <barryC@qimr.edu.au>]

RODS wrote:
> 
> This is true - the modern line is now a very fast method of getting to
> Brisbane's CBD, and this would not be the case if the Gold Coast railway
> still travelled over it's original route.
> 
> But the rail coridor through Southport and the coastal suburbs of the Gold
> Coast has now been lost for good - the new line passes through the western
> region of the city, requiring bus tranfers to Southport, Surfers Paradise,
> etc (ie the high density areas).

The rail corridor went *to* Southport not through it. The coast was not
reached until Tugun where the line ran alongside the road for much of
the rest of the trip to Tweed Heads. The area was already very built up
before the closure and it would not have been suitable for a high speed
line anyway.

> 
> Surely we must at least reserve a corridor between Coolangatta and
> Murwillumbah to avoid losing the possibility of a route passing through the
> most highly populated areas, should a connecting line ever be contructed
> between these two points.

The biggest problem with going to Murwillumbah from Coolangatta is the
fact that the Tweed River has to be crossed twice.  The expense will be
too great for the foreseeable future.


Barry Campbell