Ennore Port to develop rail link along Chennai Outer Ring Road

C Shivakumar

Chennai:

Ennore Port is planning to build a railway line along the Outer Ring Road, a major transport corridor being developed along the periphery of Chennai Metropolitan Area (CMA) by the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority.

R Senthil Kumar, general manager operations, Ennore Port Trust told Express on the sidelines of a Trade Meet organized by Ennore Port Limited and Madras Chamber of Commerce and Industry on Friday that the proposal to develop the railway line along the Outer Ring Road stretch has been proposed to the state government which is keen on the project.

He said state government has already allotted a stretch along Outer Ring Road for development of Mass Rapid Transit System and Ennore Port has evinced keen interest in developing the rail link, which could act as a bypass and help link Ennore Port to Bangalore. The 62.3 km long outer ring road connects NH 45 (GST Road) at Vandalur, NH 4 (GWT Road) at Nazarathpet, NH 205 (CTH Road) at Nemilicherry(Thiruninravur), NH 5 (GNT Road) at Nallur and TPP road at Minjur.

Kumar said if the government gets green signal the rail project, which will be jointly developed by the state and Ennore Port, could be one of the fastest to be completed. “Even the Union government has given permission for private sector to connect ports, mines and industrial plants with the rail network by allowing them to invest in laying the tracks for last-mile connectivity besides we already have a land,” he added.

This joint venture by both the state government and Ennore Port will be a win-win situation for both, he said, adding that the state has evinced interest and is keenly studying the proposal.

He said the railway line could be used for both passenger as well as for freight. Kumar said Ennore Port is currently using the Basin Bridge-Premabur-Villivakam link fgor its freight operations and this line heavy rail traffic. “This has resulted in delays as railways gives first preference to passenger traffic and then the freight traffic. The Outer Ring Road rail link could act as a bypass and could connect Ennore Port to the Bangalore rail link through Nemilicherry linking the Arkonam rail line. He said the state has already acquired land for the first phase of Outer Ring road and nearly 89 per cent of land has been acquired for the second phase of ORR.