Ennore Port in Tamil Nadu suggested the state government to use a stretch of land for laying a rail link connecting the port to Nemilicheri, and eventually connecting the Chennai-Bangalore rail link.

The 62-km ORR from Vandalur to Minjur is 125 m in width. A provision of 25 m had been made in the middle of the road for a possible railway link. Ennore Port suggested use of this space for constructing the rail link.

Recently, the port made this suggestion while meeting senior officials of the Tamil Nadu government. They have evinced interest in the project, and were surprised that nobody came up with such a proposal so far.

The port, which would benefit from the link, plans to invest almost Rs 750 crore in the project. If the proposed rail link is constructed, trains would run right in the middle of Chennai’s Outer Ring Road (ORR), with vehicular movement on either side of the track in a couple of years.

The port would use a part of its Rs 1,000-crore bond issue and also seek financial assistance from banks to fund the project, media reports indicate.

EPL plans to tie up with the state government to launch it as a joint venture; the Government will assess the project soon, he said.

The Rs 1,000-crore phase II project of ORR starts at Nemilicheri and crosses the Chennai-Bangalore railway line and Chennai Tiruvallur High Road. It passes through Mittanamallee, Morai, Attanthangal, Padiyanallur and Kandigai villages to end at Minjur, which is contiguous with the Ennore port. A 17-km road from Vandalur to Nemilicheri, part of the first phase, is ready for use.