South Coast railway line, Queensland

Former railway line in Queensland, Australia
the former railway line on the Gold Coast

The South Coast railway line (also known as the Tweed railway line) was a railway from Brisbane, the capital city of Queensland, Australia. The route via the South Coast (now known as the Gold Coast) to Tweed Heads on the border of Queensland and New South Wales. The line operated from 1889 to 1964. The Gold Coast railway line re opened in 1996 along a modified alignment in the north and a new route south but does not extend as far south yet as the South Coast line.

The Beenleigh railway line opened in 1885 before being extended 26 mile (42 km) from Beenleigh railway station to Southport in 1889. The firm of J. W. Sutton and Company of Kangaroo Point in Brisbane provided materials and aided in bridge construction for the railway line. A branch line running 22 mile (35 km) from Southport Junction (later renamed Ernest Junction) to Tweed Heads opened on 10 August 1903. It had been hoped that the New South Wales Government would extend its Casino to Murwillumbah line a further 30 kilometres from Murwillumbah to Tweed Heads, but this did not occur due to cost of resuming the land and the expenses associated with the tunnel and bridge that would be required. Due to the increasing popularity of the motor car, and political interests in road transport, the Tweed Heads branch closed on 1 July 1961, followed by the Beenleigh to Southport line on 30 June 1964.

The Beenleigh railway line is still in use. The track bed between Ernest Junction and Southport, and between Tugun and Coolangatta, is still visible. The original Nerang station still exist at the Gold Coast Hinterland Heritage Museum at Mudgeeraba. The railway bridge over Currumbin Creek was converted to a footbridge. Prior to 1995 the Tallebudgera bridge carried water pipes across the creek. That bridge has since been demolished to make way for widening of the Pacific Motorway. Short sections of the route at Currumbin, Coolangatta and Southport have been reused as a pedestrian/bicycle paths. The Southport tunnel still exists, but the 2 West Burleigh tunnels do not; they were demolished to make way for the Pacific Motorway. The Coolangatta station area is now located between Chalk St and Griffith Street.

The Gold Coast railway line on a new alignment opened from Beenleigh to Helensvale in 1996, Nerang in 1997, Robina in 1998 and Varsity Lakes in 2009.