| Salt Cotaurs | |
| Settlement Type: | Neighbourhood |
| Pushpin Map: | India Chennai#Tamil Nadu#India |
| Coordinates: | 13.0931°N 80.2742°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | India |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Name1: | Tamil Nadu |
| Subdivision Type2: | District |
| Subdivision Name2: | Chennai District |
| Subdivision Type3: | Metro |
| Subdivision Name3: | Chennai |
| Subdivision Type4: | Zone |
| Subdivision Name4: | Pulianthope |
| Subdivision Type5: | Ward |
| Subdivision Name5: | 47 |
| Parts Type: | Talukas |
| Parts: | Fort-Tondiarpet |
| Governing Body: | Chennai Corporation |
| Unit Pref: | Metric |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Demographics Type1: | Languages |
| Demographics1 Title1: | Official |
| Demographics1 Info1: | Tamil |
| Timezone1: | IST |
| Utc Offset1: | +5:30 |
| Postal Code Type: | PIN |
| Postal Code: | 600 112 |
| Blank1 Name Sec1: | Lok Sabha constituency |
| Blank1 Info Sec1: | Chennai North |
| Blank3 Name Sec1: | Planning agency |
| Blank3 Info Sec1: | CMDA |
| Blank4 Name Sec1: | Civic agency |
| Blank4 Info Sec1: | Chennai Corporation |
Salt Cotaurs is a neighbourhood in Chennai, India. It is located on the bank of the Buckingham Canal, north of Chennai Central railway station, between the Elephant Gate Bridge Road and Basin Bridge railway station. It is well known for its railway goods yard owned by Southern Railway. The Lost Property Office (LPO) of the Southern Railway (Chennai Division) is also located here. It is about 6 to 10 m above sea level.
The word 'Cotaur' is the Anglicised version of the Tamil word "Kottaram" (Koṭṭāram கொட்டாரம்) meaning a granary or "godown". The locality once had a godown for storing salt bags and the loading station 'Salt Cotaurs'.[1]
The checkpoint at Salt Cotaurs is one of the eight checkpoints in the state of Tamil Nadu that are slated for modernisation at a cost of 333.6 million, along with 28 commercial taxes check-posts in the state.[2]
In 2018, Southern Railway submitted a 780-million proposal to the Railway Board to develop Salt Cotaur as the fourth rail terminal within Chennai city and to ease the congestion at Chennai Central railway station by shifting the west-bound trains towards Jolarpettai side into the new terminal after completion.[3]