There have been 1 million trips on public transport to and from the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The figure was revealed as Games bosses defended warnings about potential traffic chaos in the lead-up to the event, with complaints from some businesses about a dearth of tourists on the Coast.
Since Thursday, the G:link service carried almost 100,000 passengers a day, more than three times the daily average since the opening of the Gold Coast light rail stage two.
Transport Minister Mark Bailey said the increase in passengers showed how important light rail was to the Gold Coast's public transport network.
"It's great to so many people using the light rail network and other public transport modes to travel to events during the Commonwealth Games," he said.
The Palaszczuk government delivered almost $1 billion in transport infrastructure leading up to the Games, including $420 million for light rail stage two.
Light rail services have been operating 24 hours a day during the Games, with services running every six minutes during peak event periods.
Prior to the Games, the highest number of daily passengers on the light rail network was 80,000, which occurred on the opening day of the light rail in July 2014.
Stage two began service in December 2017 and included a 7.3 kilometre extension between the Gold Coast University Hospital and Helensvale station.
Thousands opted to use heavy rail from Brisbane and Varsity Lakes, with more than 180,000 passengers making the journey on Queensland Rail services.
GOLDOC chair Peter Beattie said transport planning and warnings worked, with people avoiding the M1 and instead choosing public transport.
"The numbers on trains has been extraordinary, and on public transport, they're very full," Mr Beattie told ABC Radio Brisbane on Monday morning.
"So was that message strong? Yes. Did it need to be? Yes. Perhaps we were a little bit too aggressive in terms of how we did it, but in the end people moving around without disruption, that's what's important."
Mr Beattie said Broadbeach and Surfers Paradise were "humming" on Sunday night, with restaurants full, but the action was "patchy" at the Gold Coast in broader terms.
"The challenge is to share it across the whole coast, get people to go to Main Beach, get people to go to other parts of the Gold Coast," he said.
Mr Beattie said he had spoken to business owners who said Easter was slow, but business was picking up.
"Our strategy worked by getting people onto public transport, so that's a good thing.
"Where it didn't, it scared people off who normally would drive to the Gold Coast over Easter - that's the problem," he said.
LNP Commonwealth Games spokesman John-Paul Langbroek called on the government to introduce free public transport on the Gold Coast to help struggling businesses and encourage locals to get out.
"What we need to do is try to get locals coming back to the precinct," he said.
Mr Langbroek said Robina, Burleigh, Pacific Fair, Coolangatta and Nobby Beach were "dead as a door nail".
But Mr Bailey said public transport was free for people with Games tickets.
Mr Bailey said there were about 670,000 visitors to the Gold Coast and the region for the Games.
"A lot of the places I've been having coffee and eating at have been absolutely packed," he said.
