Gold Coast Light Rail – Stage 3

Project Overview

Road & Civil Surveys is providing specialist rail surveying support for Gold Coast Light Rail Stage 3 — a $1.2 billion, 6.7-kilometre extension of the Gold Coast light rail network from Broadbeach South to Burleigh Heads. Delivered by John Holland for GoldlinQ and the Queensland Government, the project includes 8 new stations, 5 additional light rail vehicles, and construction within the central reservation of the Gold Coast Highway through one of Queensland’s busiest coastal corridors.

With tram testing underway and passenger services targeting mid-2026, Stage 3 will extend the network to 27 kilometres from Helensvale to Burleigh Heads — cementing light rail as the backbone of Gold Coast public transport.

Our Role

RCS was engaged in 2025 to provide specialist rail surveying for the track installation and commissioning phase — the most tolerance-critical stage of any light rail project.

Our scope focuses on track alignment and rail geometry surveys, turnout and curved rail survey verification, and structural survey support. This work ensures that installed track meets the precise geometric requirements for safe, smooth light rail operations — particularly through curved sections and turnouts where alignment tolerances are at their tightest and the consequences of error directly impact ride quality, rail wear, and long-term maintenance costs.

Driving Value

Rail survey is a specialist discipline. The tolerances are measured in millimetres, the geometry is three-dimensional, and the margin between a conforming rail alignment and one that requires rectification is razor-thin. Getting it right the first time avoids costly re-work, program delays during the commissioning phase, and potential impacts to the ride quality and asset life of the finished system.

RCS has driven value for John Holland on GCLR3 by bringing proven light rail survey experience from Parramatta Light Rail Stage 1 — where we supported track alignment and tamping verification across a 12-kilometre corridor — directly into the Gold Coast. Our team understands rail geometry standards, curved rail installation tolerances, and the interface between survey verification and track construction methodology.

This engagement represents RCS’s first major rail project in Queensland, demonstrating our ability to deploy specialist capability nationally and support our clients wherever the work takes them.

• Track alignment and rail geometry surveys
• Turnout and curved rail survey verification
• Structural survey support
• Conformance and work-as-executed survey deliverables