<span class="" id="parent-fieldname-description"> WA minister for transport and finance Dean Nalder has supported comments by shadow federal minister for transport and infrastructure Anthony Albanese, saying government investment needs to be made in both roads and rail. </span> <p>“You need to look across both roads and freight looking forward,” he said this morning at AusRAIL in Perth, <a href="../albanese-slams-government-for-201cnonsense201d-decision-making">following Albanese’s address</a>.</p><p>“As our state continues to grow, the government faces the challenges of meeting increasing transport demands in both city centres and regional areas, with limited public funds.”</p><p>He also supported AusRAIL’s innovation message, saying the state government was working hard to implement new innovation throughout the transport network, both in individual steps like phone apps, and in major projects.</p><p>“If we are to encourage people to utilise public transport, we must make it as easy as we can for them to know when and where buses and trains are arriving,” he said.</p><p>Nalder also spoke about the importance of WA’s freight networks.</p><p>“WA infrastructure and our ports and rail are critical for the success of the whole country,” he said, noting 60% of the nation’s trade went through WA ports last year.</p><p>“Rail in WA is a key connection between much of our commodities, our ports, and the rest of the world.”</p><p>He said the government expects significant growth in both bulk and intermodal rail freight by 2030.</p><p>“An efficient, productive and sustainable freight rail network able to cater for future growth is dependent on investment and collaboration with industry.</p><p>“The government is committed to moving more of the state’s freight task to rail,” he added, <a href="../other-top-stories/pair-of-rail-projects-grow-fremantle-container-trade">referencing recently completed projects at Fremantle</a>.</p><p>“Rail can play a greater role in managing Perth’s intermodal freight tasks &hellip This will involve working closer with industry.”</p>
