NEW Transport Minister Dean Nalder has vowed to get Perth’s delayed $2 billion light rail back on track – saying it may be faster and “smarter” to split the project into two parts.

In a wide-ranging interview on how to fix Perth’s congestion problem, Mr Nalder said he was investigating “breaking up” the MAX Light Rail plan.

Mr Nalder said he considered the north-south route connecting Mirrabooka with the CBD a priority ahead of the proposed east-west line between Victoria Park and Nedlands.

He hopes staging the 22km scheme would allow construction of the Mirrabooka-CBD corridor to be brought forward “as much as possible” from 2019.

After six weeks in charge of the Transport portfolio, Mr Nalder also revealed:

● There will be no congestion charge for private motorists in Perth;

● He will investigate putting Perth’s train stations and freeway junctions underground;

● Traffic congestion really is hurting WA’s productivity;

● State Governments have been too reactive to Perth’s transport problems;

● He wants a transport blueprint for Perth at five million people.

Work on the MAX scheme was supposed to start in 2016, but was pushed back by three years after the state lost its prized AAA credit rating.

BEAT THE TRAFFIC CONGESTION

A NEW traffic web page launched by PerthNow will help motorists beat congestion. Created in conjunction with Main Roads WA, it will help drivers avoid busy intersections, know where roadworks are and plan the right amount of time to get from A to B. The page includes a map with the location of 21 cameras that offer regular updated images from our busiest congestion points, updated about every five minutes . Click here: LIVE PERTH TRAFFIC

Mr Nalder, a first-term MP promoted to the cabinet after Troy Buswell’s mental breakdown, said he was “very committed” to MAX, but a rethink was needed.

He believes the Mirrabooka-city link would do more to relieve congestion than the east-west stretch, which is already served by a free Green CAT bus service.

Mr Nalder even suggested other light rail lines could be built ahead of the Victoria Park-Nedlands route, which now appears on the backburner.

“I don’t know the numbers yet, but let’s say it’s half: it comes from $2 billion to $1 billion – that’s a lot easier for us to budget and plan for,” he said.

“We know that we’ve put it back three years, my priority is to bring it as far forward as I can, if I can. I can’t promise anything yet, but I am exploring trying to find smarter ways of bringing aspects of it forward.”

NO CONGESTION CHARGE

Mr Nalder said the Barnett Government would not consider a London-style congestion charge on drivers, despite an inquiry into WA’s economic productivity recommending a trial.

A previous boss of Australia Post in WA, he agreed congestion was stifling productivity, particularly in the state’s freight industry.

He has ordered a productivity report to look at whether industry could “co-contribute” to transport solutions that would boost their profits.

Mr Nalder said the state had become too “project-centric” and initiatives such as traffic light sequencing on Canning Highway and new Kwinana Freeway merge lane markings demonstrated a “smarter” approach.

He’s also considering allowing motorists to turn left at red traffic lights, boosting the frequency of buses on thoroughfares and developing a smartphone app that tracks buses.

“We’ve got to do more of those type of initiatives so that we’re not just building trains or we’re not just building roads – we’re thinking about this in a holistic manner,” Mr Nalder said.

GOING UNDERGROUND

Alfred Cove’s Liberal MP said government needed to be “a lot more innovative” about how it funds transport infrastructure, including public private partnerships (PPP).

He’s asked the Department of Transport to look at whether development land could be created by building over existing train stations and freeway junctions.

Some of the land released by putting a “shell” over the freeway could be sold for commercial or residential development to fund improved transport facilities.

Citing Canning Bridge station near his Applecross home as an example, he said: “At the moment it’s noisy and it’s congested – could you create a development over that? And sell the ‘air space’ that makes it aesthetically pleasing and increases the amenity by providing car parking, a bus station and separating traffic levels to allow easier movement and access.”

FIVE MILLION PEOPLE

A Public Transport Plan for Perth in 2031 is due to be published, but Mr Nalder said Perth’s population boom means it will almost be out of date before its release.

Forecasts suggest Perth will be home to between 3.5 and five million people by 2050 – making it Australia’s third largest city – and that’s what Mr Nalder is now working towards.

He said State Governments had been “too reactive” to transport issues caused by Perth’s growth and a blueprint mapping out a road and rail network fit for 2050 was needed.

“I would like to see a situation where we get to election and you don’t necessarily have both sides of politics coming up with these (transport) initiatives, that there is some well-analysed documentation to support what it should be. Then the argument should be more around the priorities of which should be first,” he said.

“To go out to 2040-2050 is going to take a little time, but I would be disappointed if we don’t have it well before the next election. I would like to think that in the next 18 months to two years we should be in a position to be starting to articulate what we think the future for Perth looks like.”