By Omoyeni Ojeifo
The proposed integration of rail transport with air travel in Lagos has taken a step forward with the approval of a monorail design connecting Ikeja Railway Station to the Murtala Muhammed International Airport.
The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, disclosed this on his X page, on Tuesday, after a meeting with the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Aviation, the Managing Director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and engineering teams from both institutions.
According to Keyamo, the approved design provides for five stations linking the Ikeja terminus of the Lagos Red Line to the new Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) Terminal 1, which is undergoing reconstruction.
“There would be 5 stations/stops along the way, namely, Ikeja Station, Domestic Airport Station, Beesam Station, Toll Gate Station and MMI Airport Station,” he said.
Persecondnews recalls that the Federal Government announced plans in June 2026 to extend the Lagos Red Line from Ikeja to the airport terminals to improve connectivity between the city’s rail network and the airport.
The Managing Director of FAAN, Olubunmi Onabanjo-Kuku, subsequently revealed that the proposed rail connection would link airport facilities to the Lagos rail network.
On October 18, she said discussions on financing the project had reached an advanced stage, although the financing structure was still being finalised.
The planned rail connection forms part of the wider modernisation of MMIA, where Terminal 1 is undergoing a comprehensive overhaul to improve passenger processing, infrastructure and airport operations.
Onabanjo-Kuku said the terminal’s reconstruction would focus on improving immigration and customs facilities, increasing service-counter efficiency and introducing modern technology, rather than expanding the terminal.
The approval of the monorail design marks another development in the proposed airport rail connection.
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