diff --git a/cmake/catkin_python_setup.cmake b/cmake/catkin_python_setup.cmake
index c0520c5c5..98d6396a2 100644
--- a/cmake/catkin_python_setup.cmake
+++ b/cmake/catkin_python_setup.cmake
@@ -103,6 +103,37 @@ function(catkin_python_setup)
     endforeach()
   endif()
 
+  # generate relay-script for each python module (and __init__.py files) if available
+  if(${PROJECT_NAME}_SETUP_PY_MODULES)
+    list(LENGTH ${PROJECT_NAME}_SETUP_PY_MODULES modules_count)
+    math(EXPR modules_range "${modules_count} - 1")
+    foreach(index RANGE ${modules_range})
+      list(GET ${PROJECT_NAME}_SETUP_PY_MODULES ${index} module)
+      list(GET ${PROJECT_NAME}_SETUP_PY_MODULE_DIRS ${index} module_dir)
+      set(PYTHON_SCRIPT ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/${module_dir}/${module})
+      if(EXISTS ${PYTHON_SCRIPT})
+        get_filename_component(path ${module} PATH)
+        file(MAKE_DIRECTORY "${CATKIN_DEVEL_PREFIX}/${CATKIN_GLOBAL_PYTHON_DESTINATION}/${path}")
+        configure_file(${catkin_EXTRAS_DIR}/templates/relay.py.in
+          ${CATKIN_DEVEL_PREFIX}/${CATKIN_GLOBAL_PYTHON_DESTINATION}/${module}
+          @ONLY)
+        # relay parent __init__.py files if they exist
+        while(NOT "${path}" STREQUAL "")
+          set(PYTHON_SCRIPT ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/${module_dir}/${path}/__init__.py)
+          if(EXISTS ${PYTHON_SCRIPT})
+            file(MAKE_DIRECTORY "${CATKIN_DEVEL_PREFIX}/${CATKIN_GLOBAL_PYTHON_DESTINATION}/${path}")
+            configure_file(${catkin_EXTRAS_DIR}/templates/relay.py.in
+              ${CATKIN_DEVEL_PREFIX}/${CATKIN_GLOBAL_PYTHON_DESTINATION}/${path}/__init__.py
+              @ONLY)
+          else()
+            message(WARNING "The module '${module_dir}/${module}' lacks an '__init__.py' file in the parent folder '${module_dir}/${path}' in project '${PROJECT_NAME}'")
+          endif()
+          get_filename_component(path ${path} PATH)
+        endwhile()
+      endif()
+    endforeach()
+  endif()
+
    # generate relay-script for each python script
   foreach(script ${${PROJECT_NAME}_SETUP_PY_SCRIPTS})
     get_filename_component(name ${script} NAME)
diff --git a/cmake/interrogate_setup_dot_py.py b/cmake/interrogate_setup_dot_py.py
index 8a3c2344b..26882f02a 100644
--- a/cmake/interrogate_setup_dot_py.py
+++ b/cmake/interrogate_setup_dot_py.py
@@ -83,7 +83,7 @@ def _get_locations(pkgs, package_dir):
     return locations
 
 
-def generate_cmake_file(package_name, version, scripts, package_dir, pkgs):
+def generate_cmake_file(package_name, version, scripts, package_dir, pkgs, modules):
     """
     Generates lines to add to a cmake file which will set variables
 
@@ -91,6 +91,7 @@ def generate_cmake_file(package_name, version, scripts, package_dir, pkgs):
     :param scripts: [list of str]: relative paths to scripts
     :param package_dir: {modulename: path}
     :pkgs: [list of str] python_packages declared in catkin package
+    :modules: [list of str] python modules
     """
     prefix = '%s_SETUP_PY' % package_name
     result = []
@@ -129,6 +130,21 @@ def generate_cmake_file(package_name, version, scripts, package_dir, pkgs):
 
     result.append(r'set(%s_PACKAGES "%s")' % (prefix, ';'.join(pkgs)))
     result.append(r'set(%s_PACKAGE_DIRS "%s")' % (prefix, ';'.join(resolved_pkgs).replace("\\", "/")))
+
+    # skip modules which collide with package names
+    filtered_modules = []
+    for modname in modules:
+        splits = modname.split('.')
+        # check all parents too
+        equals_package = [('.'.join(splits[:-i]) in locations) for i in range(len(splits))]
+        if any(equals_package):
+            continue
+        filtered_modules.append(modname)
+    module_locations = _get_locations(filtered_modules, package_dir)
+
+    result.append(r'set(%s_MODULES "%s")' % (prefix, ';'.join(['%s.py' % m.replace('.', '/') for m in filtered_modules])))
+    result.append(r'set(%s_MODULE_DIRS "%s")' % (prefix, ';'.join([module_locations[m] for m in filtered_modules]).replace("\\", "/")))
+
     return result
 
 
@@ -155,6 +171,7 @@ def setup(*args, **kwargs):
 
         pkgs = kwargs.get('packages', [])
         scripts = kwargs.get('scripts', [])
+        modules = kwargs.get('py_modules', [])
 
         unsupported_args = [
             'entry_points',
@@ -163,7 +180,6 @@ def setup(*args, **kwargs):
             'ext_package',
             'include_package_data',
             'namespace_packages',
-            'py_modules',
             'setup_requires',
             'use_2to3',
             'zip_safe']
@@ -175,7 +191,8 @@ def setup(*args, **kwargs):
                                      version=version,
                                      scripts=scripts,
                                      package_dir=package_dir,
-                                     pkgs=pkgs)
+                                     pkgs=pkgs,
+                                     modules=modules)
         with open(outfile, 'w') as out:
             out.write('\n'.join(result))
 
diff --git a/cmake/templates/relay.py.in b/cmake/templates/relay.py.in
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..5221f48dc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cmake/templates/relay.py.in
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+# creates a relay to a python script source file, acting as that file.
+# The purpose is that of a symlink
+with open("@PYTHON_SCRIPT@", 'r') as fh:
+    exec(fh.read())