Construction work on the State’s first multi-modal logistics park began recently in Tiruvallur district. It is being built at a cost of ₹1,500 crore on 181 acres of land. The work is being carried out in build operate transfer (BOT) mode and the first phase, during which road connectivity would be provided, will be completed in two years. “We already have a four-lane wide road, which is the State Highway. It will get some upgrades, including a flyover, and will be connected to the Chennai Peripheral Ring Road,” said officials of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) implementing the project. Apart from road connectivity, the park will also get rail connectivity. “We have begun acquiring lands for laying the 10-km-long railway line to connect it with the Kadambathur railway station,” the officials said. The park is being built on an all-open, dry land with no structures. The rail connectivity work will take at least four years to complete. The park, which is coming up as part of the PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan, the objective of which is to offer smooth intermodal freight movement, will have facilities that include automated warehouses, cold storage and customs facilities, cargo terminals, and truck terminals. Various commodities, including textile, apparel, grain, electronics, consumer goods, and automobiles and automobile components may be handled at the logistics park. Over a period of 45 years, this facility is expected to cater to a cargo volume of 7.17 million tonnes.