Leave Memphis at 10:45 p.m. and reach downtown Chicago at 9:15 the next morning. That’s the published schedule for Amtrak’s City of New Orleans: 10½ hours, with no train changes.
The biggest choice is what you’ll sleep on. Coach buys a reclining seat. A private room provides beds.
For the northbound trip, book Train 58, from Memphis Central Station (MEM) to Chicago Union Station (CHI). Despite the service’s name, you’re heading away from New Orleans, its southern endpoint.
There’s one departure daily, so the late boarding time sets the pace for your evening. You can have dinner in Memphis before heading to the station.
All times are Central Time, based on the October 2026 timetable. Confirm your dates through Amtrak’s timetable tool.
A 1914 Station Still Sends Passengers North
Memphis Central Station opened in October 1914. More than a century later, passengers still come here to catch a train north.
Its hotel conversion opened in 2019, preserving historic features while Amtrak continued serving the building. The station now shares its complex with a hotel.
Boarding is at 545 South Main Street, using the Main and Carolina entrance. It’s a distinctive place to begin an overnight trip: a working station whose history reaches back well before air travel became routine.
The Biggest Choice Happens Before Boarding
A reclining seat and a bed can look like a small distinction while you’re comparing tickets. Around 3 a.m., the difference may feel larger.
Coach has wide, reclining seats with legroom, no middle seats, a tray, a reading light, and an electrical outlet. Restrooms are available in each car.
There is no bed included. Choose it with your own ability to sleep in a seat in mind.
A roomette has two daytime seats that convert into upper and lower beds. Bedding, attendant service, and meals are included, while toilets and showers are shared.
For two people sharing a roomette, decide who will use the upper berth before booking. Getting into that bed is part of the arrangement.
A standard bedroom offers about twice the space of a roomette. During the day, it has a sofa and separate chair; at night, upper and lower beds.
It also includes a private sink, toilet, and shower. That bathroom is one of the clearest differences between a bedroom and a roomette.
A Superliner accessible bedroom has a different setup: wheelchair space, a sink, and a toilet on the entry level, with shared shower facilities. Confirm the exact room type and its features when booking.
What the Overnight Journey Includes
Eat dinner before boarding.
Private-room passengers receive flexible dining, but the route’s meal listing does not establish that dinner will be served to passengers getting on in Memphis at 10:45 p.m. Ask your attendant about breakfast arrangements after you board.
Flexible dining uses hot, ready-to-serve meals. Other passengers can purchase food from the café, subject to its service hours.
If a meal aboard a train is the main experience you’re after, our guide to dinner trains within a day’s drive of Nashville offers other trips to compare.
You can bring food and nonalcoholic drinks to enjoy at your seat or in your room. Staff cannot heat or refrigerate your food, so choose snacks that can make the trip with you.
Amtrak advertises a Sightseer Lounge on the City of New Orleans. If the equipment is operating and the car is accessible to you, it offers somewhere to spend part of the morning outside your seat or room.
Much of this journey happens in darkness. The amount of daylight before Chicago depends on the season and the train’s actual running time.
For a trip focused on scenery, you might also look at our guide to Tennessee’s Hiwassee Loop train ride. Here, the overnight timing is the main attraction.
Chicago Is Scheduled for 9:15 the Next Morning
The scheduled arrival puts you at Chicago Union Station at 9:15 a.m., downtown and ready to begin your visit—depending on how the night went.
Leave some room in that first morning. Delays are possible, and a hotel room may not be ready when you arrive.
Start with somewhere to put your bags. Ask your hotel whether it will hold luggage before check-in, or check Union Station’s parcel-check storage terms and current price.
Then choose breakfast and an activity you can move around. A fixed reservation shortly after the scheduled arrival gives you less room for a late train or a slow start.
What to Know Before Booking
Fares vary by date, passenger count, and accommodation. Compare coach and private rooms for your actual trip, and include both directions, station transportation, parking, and food when adding up the cost.
An overnight journey may replace a hotel night, but savings over flying or driving are not guaranteed. Read the cancellation terms attached to your fare, especially when booking a private room.
For the scheduled Memphis departure, plan to arrive around 10 p.m. if you need baggage checking, ticketing, or passenger assistance. Without those services, the recommended arrival is around 10:15 p.m.
Confirm parking before leaving a car. The supplied station information is inconsistent, so verify the lot, overnight permission, and price. Memphis also lists no accessible overnight parking.
Check Amtrak’s Memphis station page for notices, including the temporary restroom restriction listed as effective October 20, 2026. Confirm which facilities will be available on your date.
If you need boarding assistance or have specific mobility needs, contact Amtrak before booking. Access between cars can be limited for wheelchair users, so confirm whether the lounge and dining area will be reachable. Meal delivery to your seat or room can be arranged.
Keep medication, toiletries, a charger, a light layer, earplugs, and an eye mask in a small bag you can reach easily. Checked bags are unavailable during the trip.
Plan without onboard Wi-Fi. Download your ticket, entertainment, and essential travel details before leaving.
Check the return schedule before settling your Chicago plans, too. Train 59 leaves Chicago at 8:05 p.m., and the October 2026 timetable lists Memphis at 6:55 a.m. the following morning. Confirm the precise arrival details when booking, then arrange that early ride home.
