This project is the latest, 6.7 km stage of the Gold Coast Light Rail, a world class public transport system for the Gold Coast’s residents and visitors linking communities to business centers, shopping, dining, education, and medical facilities. The rail network extension is in one of Australia’s fastest growing regions and will include eight new stations from Broadbeach to Burleigh Heads.
Confidence in GE Power Conversion’s ability to deliver the four x 1.5 MW 750V DC Traction Power Substations has been achieved through the track record of GE’s expert engineering and project management teams in traction power solutions. References include three Australia light rail projects in Canberra, Newcastle, and Parramatta.
GE Power Conversion has been awarded this latest project by the John Holland Group for its end customer, GoldLinQ, which has been contracted by the Queensland Government for the design, construction, operations, and maintenance of the Gold Coast Light Rail system.
Phil Mumford, CEO of GoldLinQ, Australia, said, “The GCLR3 project is committed to delivering a world class light rail system built by a Gold Coast and Southeast Queensland workforce. This city-shaping project will support more than 760 jobs and cater to the Gold Coast’s expected population growth in the coming decades.”
The 750V DC Traction Substations have been designed by an Australian engineering team and include GE Power Conversion electrification systems, including switchgear, transformers, rectifiers, circuit breakers and isolators that will be incorporated into the fabricated buildings for supply to site.
Jeff Hanson, GE Power Conversion’s sales director for Australia and New Zealand concluded, “Award of the stage 3 Gold Coast Light Rail project offers an exciting, further opportunity for GE Power Conversion to leverage the success from the delivery of Canberra Light Rail, Newcastle Light Rail and the current works on Parramatta Light Rail. We are excited to continue supporting this project with our proven substation solutions which will be engineered and delivered by our local engineering and project management team.”
The GCLR3 project is expected to be completed by mid-2025.