The Port of Liverpool could revive proposals to link the city's docks complex with a train link that takes it to the centre of industrial Europe.
Before Peel Holdings took control of the city's ports six years ago, plans had been mooted to establish a direct train link from the Mersey to Milan.
Now, new plans by Peel Ports to transform Liverpool's docks and the Manchester Ship Canal into a 44-mile "logistics platform" could see the European rail link being on the agenda once again.
Peel unveiled a 20-year development strategy which outlined plans for expansion that it said will establish the port and the canal as an "integral part of the supply chain".
As part of the strategy, it proposes plans to increase the handling capacity of Mersey Ports and the Manchester Ship Canal by 70% over the next two decades.
A 13-week public consultation period has begun to consider proposals for new inland ports along the 44-mile route.
The masterplan also includes utilising biomass energy, offshore wind and recycled waste energy.
A series of public information events is being staged at locations between Liverpool and Salford to gauge reaction from residents.
The masterplan takes in the planned expansion of the Seaforth River Terminal at the mouth of the Mersey and adds new ports along the Manchester Ship Canal at Wirral, Bridgewater, Ince, Warrington and Salford.
Shifting more freight from the roads onto rail is a key element, and Mersey Ports managing director Gary Hodgson, who told Liverpool Daily Post's Business section that the group was once again seriously looking at a direct rail link to Europe.
It is estimated that transporting containers by rail from Liverpool to Milan would take a mere 18 hours, as opposed to three days by sea.
Hodgson told the LDP: "Ninety-five per cent of cargo goes out of the port by road and we want to shift that to 70-75%. Whether we get a direct link, time will tell, but there are different options for the development of rail, for sure."
He said Milan is not on their "wish list" at the moment, but added: "A rail link to the heart of Europe, why not?
"We have the rail links to Liverpool. It is a question of how we link that up to Europe.
"For example, it could be more attractive for a vessel from America to dump everything here and rail it to Europe, but we haven't had that discussion yet."
A major step to opening up direct rail links was taken three years ago when the government approved plans to re-open the Olive Mount chord connecting the port to the West Coast mainline.
The 300-metre stretch of track between Olive Mount Junction and Edge Lane Junction was closed following a signal box fire in the late 1980s. But its re-establishment will improve freight links to the UK's main rail network, removing the need for trains reversing at Edge Hill and crossing lines in and out of the city's busy Lime Street main station.
Currently, 30% of all international trade is by containerisation, and that is expected to grow by 50% in the next 20 years.
Peel revealed plans to increase capacity on the River Mersey with a £250m investment in a Seaforth river berth handling bigger container ships following the widening of the Panama Canal in 2014.
Hodgson said hundreds of wind turbines will be located in the Irish Sea, providing new opportunities for the wind farm supply chain: "There will be a demand," he insisted. Another area ripe for development is biomass energy and the port wants to build a biomass power plant, valued at between £200m to £300m, funded by a third party.
He is urging the government to invest in the north west and says unless they develop "everything is going to be crammed down in the south east."
The Mersey Ports strategy will be finalised in December following a period of public consultation.
Liverpool still ranks among Britain's and Northern Europe's major container ports and handles nearly 700,000 teus (20ft container units) a year.
The port maintains its traditional prominence with North America while expanding its global routes and now serves more than 100 non-EU destinations from China to India, Africa, Australia and the Middle East.
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