Keyamo Approves Airport Monorail Design
The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has approved the design of a proposed monorail project linking Ikeja Railway Station to the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos.
The planned connection is expected to provide passengers with an alternative means of accessing the airport while linking its facilities to Lagos’s Red Line rail network.
Keyamo announced the approval on Tuesday following a meeting with the Managing Director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Aviation and engineering teams from the ministry and FAAN.
Mediaplusng.com reports that the proposed monorail will feature five stations, connecting Ikeja Railway Station to the international airport’s Terminal One, which is currently undergoing reconstruction.
The proposed stops are Ikeja Station, Domestic Airport Station, Beesam Station, Toll Gate Station and MMIA Airport Station.
According to Keyamo, the monorail forms an important part of the reconstruction and modernisation of Nigeria’s major international aviation gateway.
The project is expected to improve connectivity between the airport and the city’s rail network, potentially offering travellers another option for reaching the airport amid road traffic congestion.
The design approval follows earlier federal government announcements about plans to extend rail services from Ikeja to the airport’s domestic and international terminals.
FAAN Managing Director Olubunmi Kuku recently disclosed that discussions on financing the proposed airport rail connection had reached an advanced stage.
Speaking at the World Aviation Festival in Lisbon, Portugal, on October 18, Kuku said efforts were continuing to finalise the project’s financing arrangements.
The proposed connection is expected to link the airport’s three terminals with the Red Line as part of a wider infrastructure modernisation programme.
Meanwhile, reconstruction work is ongoing at Terminal One of the international airport, alongside other upgrades intended to improve airport operations and the passenger experience.
The Murtala Muhammed International Airport remains one of Nigeria’s major gateways for international travel, making efficient access to its terminals important for passengers, airport workers and other users.
However, the approval of the design represents a step in the project’s development and does not, by itself, confirm that construction has commenced or establish a completion date.
Further details on the project’s financing, construction timeline and implementation are expected to clarify when passengers could begin using the proposed monorail.
If delivered as planned, the connection would add another transport option for travellers moving between Ikeja and the airport, while supporting wider efforts to modernise Lagos’s aviation infrastructure.
