Labor pledges $500m for Adelaide trams

Federal Labor has vowed to create thousands of South Australian jobs by pledging $500 million for a new Adelaide tram network if elected.

The funding will be used to pay for pre-construction work to kick-start the AdeLINK project, which runs through the centre of Adelaide to areas like Semaphore, Mitcham, Henley and Magill.

The state Labor government is undertaking a business case but the funding would help fast-track an assessment process from Infrastructure Australia.

Labor leader Bill Shorten will make the announcement on Tuesday in Adelaide, where he's turning his election campaign focus after spending a week in Queensland and a day in the Victorian city of Geelong.

He says the funding will re-energise the local workforce and help create 2000 jobs for a region which, like Geelong, is also reeling from the slowdown of the automotive sector.

Mr Shorten has already pledged a $59 million jobs transition package for car industry workers set to lose their jobs from the exit of the car-making industry.