Amtrak’s City of New Orleans takes you directly to Memphis Central Station from Chicago or New Orleans. The choice is whether you prefer time aboard a train to a shorter drive, and whether a reclining seat or a private room suits the journey.
Chicago’s Daley Plaza and New Orleans’ Jackson Square provide two worked central starting points, with Court Square as the shared downtown Memphis destination. Allow for reaching the departure station and continuing beyond Central Station, rather than treating the train ride as the whole journey.
City of New Orleans or driving?
- Operator and service
- Amtrak, City of New Orleans
- Direct departures for Memphis
- Chicago Union Station and New Orleans Union Passenger Terminal
- Frequency from either city
- Once daily, weekdays and weekends
- Chicago rail-leg benchmark
- about 10 and a half hours
- New Orleans rail-leg benchmark
- about 8 and a half hours
Choose rail if avoiding the long drive matters more than arriving sooner. Both examples include a walk to the departure station and a taxi to Court Square. Their travelling-time totals exclude boarding time and taxi pickup. Driving times exclude breaks.
City of New Orleans versus driving to Court Square
Pros
- From Daley Plaza, rail takes about 11 hours, without spending the journey at the wheel.
- From Jackson Square, rail takes about 9 and a half hours, with no train change.
- Indicative one-way coach budgets are roughly $70–$180 per person from Chicago and $40–$120 from New Orleans, varying by date and availability. Walking access costs nothing, and the final taxi is priced separately.
Cons
- Driving from Daley Plaza takes about 8 hours over about 534 miles, with freedom to choose your departure. Allow roughly $60–$100 per car for fuel, depending on economy and pump prices.
- Driving from Jackson Square takes about 6 hours over about 397 miles. Fuel is roughly $45–$75 per car, before rental, parking and other costs.
- Chicago involves an overnight coach seat unless you pay for a private room. Rail fares multiply with passenger numbers, while a group can share the car’s fuel cost.
Chicago and New Orleans boarding points
- Buy your ticket before boarding at these staffed departure stations.
- Arrive at least 30 minutes before departure if you are not checking baggage.
- Find the Memphis-bound City of New Orleans departure and follow the boarding directions.
- Keep your ticket ready for crew checks. Passengers aged 18 or older must present valid photo ID if asked.
From Daley Plaza, walk to Chicago Union Station if you can comfortably manage your bags. The approach is about 0.6 miles and about 13 minutes. Use the main public entrance at 225 South Canal Street to reach the Amtrak departure concourses. Leave room for finding your way inside, not just reaching the building.
From Jackson Square, the walk to New Orleans Union Passenger Terminal is about 1.5 miles and about 34 minutes. With bulky luggage or uncomfortable walking weather, a road transfer is easier. New Orleans to Memphis by train develops that terminal approach and the coach alternative.
A direct train means staying aboard the same train to Memphis. A journey sold with connections or a bus segment is a different proposition, with another boarding point and a transfer to manage. Read the journey’s individual segments before choosing it.
There is no direct passenger train from Nashville to Memphis. Nashville to Memphis transport options covers the car, coach and flight alternatives for that starting point, rather than relying on a proposed rail corridor.
Coach tickets, rooms and luggage
A standard coach ticket gives you a reserved reclining seat with ample legroom, rather than a bed. For privacy and sleeping accommodation, the City of New Orleans offers Superliner Roomettes and Bedrooms. Decide whether you are content to spend the Chicago overnight journey in a seat before comparing prices, since a room changes the cost substantially.
Coach fares depend on the train, date and lowest fare still available when you buy. Promotional seats can be limited by booking windows, travel dates and blackout dates, with their own change and refund conditions. Your seat reservation is not guaranteed until Amtrak confirms it. Keep the confirmation with your travel documents.
The full Flex coach fare allows a full refund to your original payment method, without a fee, if you cancel before departure. That flexibility can be worth paying for when your plans are uncertain, but do not assume a promotional ticket carries the same terms.
Each traveller may bring one personal item and two carry-on items, subject to size and weight limits. You must be able to lift your personal and carry-on items onto the overhead luggage shelf. Pack for that task as well as for the walk to the station.
Checked-baggage service is available for Chicago–Memphis and New Orleans–Memphis journeys on the City of New Orleans. For a specific journey, both the train and the departure and arrival stations must accept checked bags. Using this service changes when you need to reach the station.
Flying is not always cheaper than Amtrak. Compare the complete cost for your origin and travel date: the flight with luggage and airport transfers against the train with station access, the Memphis taxi and any private room. Compare like-for-like accommodation too, rather than weighing a coach seat against a room you would actually choose.
Central Station to downtown
After the train journey, Memphis Central Station leaves you in South Main, not at Court Square. Court Square is the downtown endpoint used for both the rail and driving examples, so the onward leg still matters. The station’s Main Street entrance has colonnades that help you recognise the building.
Chris Light · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Edited
From Chicago, train 59 arrives at 6:27am on Sundays, Mondays and Thursdays–Saturdays, and at 8:27am on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, all local times. Plan a morning onward journey and account for whether your accommodation can receive you before room check-in. From New Orleans, arrival is at 10:45pm, making a car transfer the more practical choice with luggage.
The road journey from Central Station to Court Square is about 1.4 miles and about 6 minutes, excluding taxi pickup. Budget roughly $10–$20 per vehicle for a taxi, with traffic, waiting and any minimum charge affecting the fare. This is additional to your train ticket.
Central Station has taxi connections, and a few cabs may be waiting outside when your train arrives. If no taxi is waiting, arrange a car by phone or app. Agree the pickup point with the driver rather than assuming an available cab.
The walking alternative to Court Square is about 1.1 miles and about 26 minutes. Choose it with manageable luggage, suitable light and comfortable weather. A taxi is easier with heavy bags, after the late-evening arrival or when heat or rain makes the walk unappealing.
Sources & fact-checking
Checks against the sources below cover: services and fares and charges.
- City of New Orleans Route Timetable | Amtrak
- Memphis, TN – Central Station (MEM) – Great American Stations
- City of New Orleans Train Chicago, Memphis, New Orleans | Amtrak
- Terms and Conditions
- Train Ticket Refund and Cancellation Policy | Amtrak
- Baggage Information & Services | Amtrak
- Amtrak Routes to New Orleans | Train Travel Guide
- Passenger Identification
- How to Prepare for Your First Amtrak Trip
- Tennessee Department of Transportation — service
- Memphis, TN – Central Station (MEM) | Amtrak
