GoldLinQ consortium has spent $530 million with local businesses for labour and materials in the time project staff logged 3 million staff hours on Gold Coast light rail Stage one.

Chairman John Witheriff said the mammoth effort was attributed not only to the light rail employees but to the almost 400 suppliers we buy goods and services from in the local area since construction began in early 2012.

“Gold Coasters delivering this project for their own city was a commitment the consortium has held from the first shovel in the ground,” Mr Witheriff said.

“From traffic controllers and heavy machine operators to office staff and an operations workforce, GoldLinQ and its consortium partners are providing short and long-term employment opportunities.

“With 95 per cent of goods, services and employees locally sourced, Gold Coast light rail is contributing to the local economy significantly in not only its three-year construction phase with McConnell Dowell and Bombardier but also into its 15 year operations phase with KDR Gold Coast.”

Mr Witheriff said labour hire company SKILLED was a long-term partner on the project providing quality local employees.

SKILLED Group’s Southern Qld & Northern NSW Regional Manager Adrian Baker said a long-standing relationship had been formed with the project.

“SKILLED is extremely proud to work in close partnership with GoldLinQ and in particular McConnell Dowell on the Gold Coast Light Rail Project,” Mr Baker said.

“It is a pleasure to partner with organisations like McConnell Dowell where our corporate values closely align.

“We have been able to demonstrate our commitment to employee safety and provide the project with a quality local workforce with the skills to deliver a world class product”.

Mr Witheriff said the project would notch up another 200,000 hours by mid-year when construction of the G:link system is completed and passengers begin using trams.

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