Merrimac Station

Cross River Rail will transform the way we travel across all of South East Queensland and as part of its works, the Cross River Rail Delivery Authority will deliver three new rail stations on the Gold Coast Line to help connect South East Queensland’s growing population. These stations will be located at Pimpama, Hope Island and Merrimac.

Following consultation on the concept design in October 2019, the design for Merrimac Station was refined and further community feedback sought between 8 November and 4 December 2021.

Feedback on the detailed design will be used to inform a final design for construction.

Early investigation work has also commenced at the Merrimac station site in January 2021 and included geotechnical works, surveys, utility identification and environmental studies including heritage, flora and fauna.

Key outcomes of this work include:

• Flora and fauna surveys found no recorded threatened species at the station site.
• Cultural heritage assessments undertaken during the development of the business case identified the need for further investigations.
• Flood and surface water modelling indicates the proposed design does not impact stormwater drainage, flood and surface water levels.
• Noise monitoring was undertaken to inform management strategies.
• Geotechnical assessments were undertaken to confirm ground conditions.

To see what the new Merrimac station could look like once complete, use our online panorama tool.
 

Benefits for Merrimac

Merrimac station will provide the local community with greater access to convenient rail services; expanding options for easy travel within the Gold Coast, as well as to Brisbane.
 

 

The new Merrimac station will include the following features:

Station Location

The Merrimac station will be located on Gooding Drive, approximately 750 metres east of the Pacific Motorway and Gooding Drive Interchange (Exit 77) and is scheduled to be open in time for the first Cross River Rail services to the Gold Coast.

Consultation outcomes

Overall, feedback from the community and stakeholders indicated support for the station and its design.

During the consultation period over 360 people provided feedback through online surveys, community drop-in sessions, stakeholder meetings, emails and phone calls to the project team.

Summary of feedback

Key themes raised during the consultation period included:

• Support for a pedestrian connection on the western and eastern sides of the station.
• Ensure active transport connections to the station and surrounding community are optimised, including extension south towards City of Gold Coast’s future Greenheart project.
• Support for a direct access point (pedestrian path) from Lakeland Villas into the station.
• Feedback that the station and access road will add to the existing traffic congestion along Gooding Drive, Exit 77 and surrounding roads.
• Stakeholders requested more detailed information around mitigation measures for environmental, construction and operational impacts (hydrology, vegetation removal, dust, noise, visual amenity).
• Integration with existing public transport services, including bus connections.
• Feedback noting the importance of safety and security elements included in the current design.
• Car park to incorporate additional canopy coverage for shade and protection against weather events.

What’s Next

All feedback received during the consultation period is being considered. Further studies are being undertaken including traffic management, hydrology assessment, noise and environment to further refine and finalise the design in preparation for construction.

Procurement activities for a contractor to build Merrimac station will commence in late 2022 and the final design will be released prior to major construction on the station commencing.

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