The Gold Coast railway line is an interurban railway line operated by Queensland Rail in Queensland, Australia, connecting Brisbane with the Gold Coast. The line currently includes stops at 17 stations. In 2021, a journey from Central station to the terminus of this line is scheduled to take 1 hour 23 minutes. Several new stations along the existing line and an extension south are planned. History The Beenleigh railway line opened in 1885 before being extended as the South Coast Line to Southport in 1889. A branch line to Tweed Heads, New South Wales was opened in 1903 with excursion trains travelling the line on 10 August 1903 and the first passenger train making the journey from Brisbane on 14 September 1903. Due to the increasing popularity of the motor car, and political interests in road transport, the Tweed Heads branch closed in 1961 and the line from Beenleigh to Southport closed in 1964. The new Gold Coast railway opened on a different alignment from Beenleigh to Helensvale in 1996, Nerang in 1997, and Robina in 1998. In 2009, the line was extended to Varsity Lakes. There are plans to extend the line to Elanora and the Coolangatta airport by 2031. Originally built as a single-track railway, the rail tracks on Gold Coast line were progressively duplicated in stages. The final section of the line to be duplicated was between Coomera and Helensvale stations, with work completed in late 2017, and the new track operational in 2018. Route The Gold Coast (Varsity Lakes) railway line is an extension of the Beenleigh line. Trains travel express between Park Road and Beenleigh stations, with limited stops (currently at Altandi and Loganlea) on the Beenleigh railway line. During events at the Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre, Gold Coast and Brisbane Airport trains will make a stop at Banoon station. Most trains from the Gold Coast run through to Brisbane Airport, allowing tourists and locals access to more international destinations than from the Gold Coast's own airport. Prior to 20 January 2014, services on the Gold Coast Line travelled express between South Bank and Beenleigh, stopping only at Park Road, Coopers Plains and Loganlea during off-peak hours. From 2025 the line will utilise Cross River Rail and stop at the three new stations in the inner city. Extension plans The South East Queensland Infrastructure Plan and Program of the Bligh Labor government included a