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Commuter services run from 5am to 11.50pm each night and on Fridays and Saturdays the light rail service will run 24 hours a day.
Each of the 14 light rail trams has seven carrriages which can carry a total of 309 passengers; 80 seated and 229 standing.
The electric-powered trams travel between 16 stations at around 70 kilometres an hour, but given the number of stops they average about 24 km/h over the 13 kilometre journey between Southport and Broadbeach.
The light rail project is a public private partnership that is funded by three levels of government and packaged together by a private consortium, called GoldlinQ
The Queensland Government contributed $464 million to this project, the Australian Government contributed $365 million and the Gold Coast City Council provided $120 million.
GoldLinQ also invested in the project and co-ordinated the two-year construction of the light rail track between Southport's Griffith University campus and Broadbeach.
This is stage one of the project and the Queensland Government and the Gold Coast City Council are keen to see the light rail link extended north and south.
Transport Minister Scott Emerson said the light rail would be a bonus to the Gold Coast, which hosts the Commonweath Games in 2018.
“The light rail will give local residents far more than a world-class public transport network,” Mr Emerson said.
“Light rail has a proven track record for revitalising cities by connecting people and places, and attracting investment.”
Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate said the project was Queensland’s first light rail system.
“It is an exciting time for the Gold Coast and I am confident this project will drive new investment and more local jobs. It is important for everybody to get behind the G:link and make public transport a part of everyday life,” Mr Tate said.
Last month Cr Tate announced future land use changes for the Gold Coast which would see more high-density accommodation built along the light rail train link.
The Queensland Government has begun a planning study into future extensions to light rail project from the Griffith University campus at Parklands across to a new station at Parkwood, connecting to the passenger rail on the northern tip of the Gold Coast.
No money has been set aside for this stage.