PREMIER Colin Barnett will today unveil the biggest public transport project in WA since the Perth to Mandurah train link - the $1 billion city and suburban light-rail network.

The Metropolitan Area Express electric transit system, branded MAX, will stretch 22km in total and link Mirrabooka in the north with the CBD, via roads including Mirrabooka Ave, Alexander Drive and Fitzgerald St.

The first stage will start at Polytechnic West (Balga Campus) and extend east-west through the city to the QEII Medical Centre, in Nedlands, and the Causeway.

Transport Minister Troy Buswell said $15.8 million of commonwealth and state funding had been committed to the planning phase, which he said would involve extensive community consultation and feasibility, engineering and design studies.

He said the State Government was aiming to have the project finished within six years.

"Under the current timeline, contracts will be awarded in late 2015 with construction starting in 2016 and completion towards the end of 2018," he said.

Mr Buswell said the service would run down median strips of certain roads and in some lanes, including Fitzgerald St.

He said the state and commonwealth would either fund the project or look to adopt a similar model used to finance light rail on the Gold Coast government and private partnerships.

"I suspect without knowing in detail and when you have a look at what's happened on the Gold Coast, the cost for this type of infrastructure will be a billion dollars plus," he said.

"We have not worked through a procurement analysis yet.

"Other recent (funding) examples in Australia include the Gold Coast light rail, which is being delivered with a combination of private and public money that is one option we will consider.

"There is already in the Budget almost a billion dollars that is joint commonwealth and state funding committed under the nation building program.

"The commonwealth is partnering us with the planning, and we will certainly be approaching the commonwealth later on this year to use that unallocated pool of money to help fund the light rail.

"There is already money in the Budget to deliver these types of projects. We are simply working through a process now to allocate that money to priorities."

Mr Buswell denied the project was just pre-election window dressing and underlined the importance of "getting it right".

"You don't spend $15 million planning for a project that you don't want to give every chance of success," he said.

"I think this is the sort of project that once you start, there is no backing out.

"Bringing light rail through built-up suburbs on long-established streets like Alexander Drive, Mirrabooka Ave and Fitzgerald St is not without its challenges. But what you see when you travel around the world is if you get it right, it works incredibly well.

"What you end up with is fewer cars on the road, which helps with congestion and fewer carbon emissions, but also it adds to the vibrancy and the dynamic of the city because you literally can get people in easier and out easier and you can move them around a lot easier."

Mr Buswell said giving the route an identity was a key priority.

"I am very comfortable that people will vote with their feet when this goes in, in the same way the people of Perth have voted with their feet to support the rail system," he said.

"The other benefit here is we are separating out an enormous number of people from other road users."

Phase two of the proposal will see the line extended west to the University of WA and east to the Burswood complex alongside the new stadium area and south to Curtin University.

The line will service the Perth Arena and stop at the Wellington Street bus station before continuing along William St, which will be reduced to one lane in each direction for general traffic.