Music City Loop Plans BNA Station Steps From Terminal Entrance

Music City Loop's proposed airport station would bring passengers within steps of Nashville International Airport's terminal doors, using space now occupied by taxis and limousines.

Design documents obtained by The Tennessean through a public-records request place the station on the terminal's ground level. Airport President and CEO Doug Kreulen described the location as approximately 22 feet from the front door during an October board meeting, according to Hadley Hitson's October 28 report.

The plans provide a closer look at how the airport connection would work, including a short surface drive between the tunnels and the passenger loading area.

They also clarify a remaining step in the project: airport officials say The Boring Company has not signed the final agreement authorized by commissioners in February.

A short surface connection to the terminal

According to the documents described by The Tennessean, the airport tunnels would follow Murfreesboro Pike toward Donelson Pike before reaching Airport Service Road.

Vehicles would leave the tunnels there and continue above ground to the station. Passengers would board and exit at ground level near the terminal entrance.

Kreulen compared the proposed location with the approximately 600-foot walk for Uber and Lyft passengers. The Boring Company would pay for the closer terminal access.

Making room would require moving existing taxi and limousine operations. Airport officials are considering space on the northern side of the terminal, Kreulen said, with those arrangements still being developed.

The airport approved terms in February

The airport authority's February 18 action accepted negotiated terms and authorized its leadership to execute a license agreement. Its announcement described a signed letter of intent.

The final license agreement remained unsigned as of The Tennessean's October 28 reporting.

The Boring Company's October 1 update also said the BNA station was still in design and permitting. The newly reported layout adds detail to that work, but does not establish when the station will open.

What The Boring Company would pay

The airport's February board presentation sets out a 40-year base term with two five-year options.

The starting annual license fee totals $300,000, with annual escalation. It consists of a $150,000 fixed fee beginning with above-ground construction and a $150,000 performance component payable through a 25-cent-per-ride charge.

Separate operating fees would charge $5 for a pickup and $5 for a drop-off, subject to adjustment. The terms assign construction, operating, and maintenance costs to The Boring Company.

As LOOP Nashville previously reported, airport projections estimate approximately $34 million in license fees and $309 million in operating fees over the full potential 50 years.

Those estimates depend on ridership, fee assumptions, and the duration of the agreement.

An airport connection still taking shape

The Tennessean reports that company officials are targeting the first quarter of 2027 for Music City Loop service. The report does not establish a separate opening date for the BNA station.

The proposed terminal location answers a practical question for future riders: where they would get out of the vehicle and enter the airport.

A signed license agreement, completed station design, and permitting would move that connection closer to construction and passenger service.