diff --git a/org.springframework.integration/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/config/RouterFactoryBean.java b/org.springframework.integration/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/config/RouterFactoryBean.java
index c29effff9d..b6cef08b03 100644
--- a/org.springframework.integration/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/config/RouterFactoryBean.java
+++ b/org.springframework.integration/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/config/RouterFactoryBean.java
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 /*
- * Copyright 2002-2008 the original author or authors.
+ * Copyright 2002-2009 the original author or authors.
  *
  * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
  * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
@@ -36,7 +36,9 @@ public class RouterFactoryBean extends AbstractMessageHandlerFactoryBean {
 	private volatile ChannelResolver channelResolver;
 
 	private volatile MessageChannel defaultOutputChannel;
-	
+
+	private volatile Long timeout;
+
 	private volatile Boolean resolutionRequired;
 
 	private volatile Boolean ignoreChannelNameResolutionFailures;
@@ -50,6 +52,10 @@ public class RouterFactoryBean extends AbstractMessageHandlerFactoryBean {
 		this.defaultOutputChannel = defaultOutputChannel;
 	}
 
+	public void setTimeout(Long timeout) {
+		this.timeout = timeout;
+	}
+
 	public void setResolutionRequired(Boolean resolutionRequired) {
 		this.resolutionRequired = resolutionRequired;
 	}
@@ -65,6 +71,9 @@ public class RouterFactoryBean extends AbstractMessageHandlerFactoryBean {
 		if (this.defaultOutputChannel != null) {
 			router.setDefaultOutputChannel(this.defaultOutputChannel);
 		}
+		if (this.timeout != null) {
+			router.setTimeout(timeout.longValue());
+		}
 		if (this.ignoreChannelNameResolutionFailures != null) {
 			Assert.isTrue(router instanceof AbstractChannelNameResolvingMessageRouter, 
 					"The 'ignoreChannelNameResolutionFailures' property can only be set on routers that extend "
diff --git a/org.springframework.integration/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/config/xml/AbstractRouterParser.java b/org.springframework.integration/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/config/xml/AbstractRouterParser.java
index 7cd4207677..7f1ab08077 100644
--- a/org.springframework.integration/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/config/xml/AbstractRouterParser.java
+++ b/org.springframework.integration/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/config/xml/AbstractRouterParser.java
@@ -33,6 +33,7 @@ public abstract class AbstractRouterParser extends AbstractConsumerEndpointParse
 		BeanDefinitionBuilder builder = BeanDefinitionBuilder.genericBeanDefinition(
 				IntegrationNamespaceUtils.BASE_PACKAGE + ".config.RouterFactoryBean");
 		IntegrationNamespaceUtils.setReferenceIfAttributeDefined(builder, element, "default-output-channel");
+		IntegrationNamespaceUtils.setValueIfAttributeDefined(builder, element, "timeout");
 		IntegrationNamespaceUtils.setValueIfAttributeDefined(builder, element, "resolution-required");
 		IntegrationNamespaceUtils.setValueIfAttributeDefined(builder, element, "ignore-channel-name-resolution-failures");
 		this.parseRouter(element, builder, parserContext);
diff --git a/org.springframework.integration/src/test/java/org/springframework/integration/router/config/RouterParserTests.java b/org.springframework.integration/src/test/java/org/springframework/integration/router/config/RouterParserTests.java
index 58932e48c0..a460a63711 100644
--- a/org.springframework.integration/src/test/java/org/springframework/integration/router/config/RouterParserTests.java
+++ b/org.springframework.integration/src/test/java/org/springframework/integration/router/config/RouterParserTests.java
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 /*
- * Copyright 2002-2008 the original author or authors.
+ * Copyright 2002-2009 the original author or authors.
  *
  * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
  * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
@@ -24,8 +24,11 @@ import java.util.Collection;
 import java.util.Collections;
 
 import org.junit.Test;
+
+import org.springframework.beans.DirectFieldAccessor;
 import org.springframework.context.support.ClassPathXmlApplicationContext;
 import org.springframework.integration.annotation.Router;
+import org.springframework.integration.channel.MessageChannelTemplate;
 import org.springframework.integration.channel.PollableChannel;
 import org.springframework.integration.core.Message;
 import org.springframework.integration.core.MessageChannel;
@@ -33,6 +36,7 @@ import org.springframework.integration.message.GenericMessage;
 import org.springframework.integration.message.MessageDeliveryException;
 import org.springframework.integration.message.StringMessage;
 import org.springframework.integration.router.AbstractMessageRouter;
+import org.springframework.integration.router.MethodInvokingRouter;
 
 /**
  * @author Mark Fisher
@@ -109,7 +113,6 @@ public class RouterParserTests {
 		input.send(new GenericMessage<Integer>(3));
 	}
 
-	
 	@Test
 	public void testIgnoreChannelNameResolutionFailures() {
 		ClassPathXmlApplicationContext context = new ClassPathXmlApplicationContext(
@@ -119,6 +122,19 @@ public class RouterParserTests {
 		input.send(new StringMessage("channelThatDoesNotExist"));
 	}
 
+	@Test
+	public void timeoutValueConfigured() {
+		ClassPathXmlApplicationContext context = new ClassPathXmlApplicationContext(
+				"routerParserTests.xml", this.getClass());
+		DirectFieldAccessor endpointAccessor = new DirectFieldAccessor(context.getBean("routerWithTimeout"));
+		MethodInvokingRouter router = (MethodInvokingRouter) endpointAccessor.getPropertyValue("handler");
+		MessageChannelTemplate template = (MessageChannelTemplate)
+				new DirectFieldAccessor(router).getPropertyValue("channelTemplate");
+		Long timeout = (Long) new DirectFieldAccessor(template).getPropertyValue("sendTimeout");
+		assertEquals(new Long(1234), timeout);
+	}
+
+
 	public static class TestRouterImplementation extends AbstractMessageRouter {
 
 		private final MessageChannel channel;
diff --git a/org.springframework.integration/src/test/java/org/springframework/integration/router/config/routerParserTests.xml b/org.springframework.integration/src/test/java/org/springframework/integration/router/config/routerParserTests.xml
index bbb4f4a457..a594cbcb35 100644
--- a/org.springframework.integration/src/test/java/org/springframework/integration/router/config/routerParserTests.xml
+++ b/org.springframework.integration/src/test/java/org/springframework/integration/router/config/routerParserTests.xml
@@ -62,6 +62,8 @@
 	<channel id="ignoreChannelNameResolutionFailuresInput"/>
 	<beans:bean id="payloadAsChannelNameRouter" class="org.springframework.integration.router.config.RouterParserTests$ReturnStringPassedInAsChannelNameRouter" />
 	<router id="ignoreChannelNameResolutionFailuresRouter" ref="payloadAsChannelNameRouter" input-channel="ignoreChannelNameResolutionFailuresInput" ignore-channel-name-resolution-failures="true" />  
-	
+
+	<channel id="timeoutRouterChannel"/>
+	<router id="routerWithTimeout" ref="payloadAsChannelNameRouter" timeout="1234" input-channel="timeoutRouterChannel"/>
 
 </beans:beans>