Memphis Central Station | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 The station in 2022 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| General information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Location | 545 S. Main Street Memphis, Tennessee United States | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 35°07′56″N90°03′34″W / 35.1323°N 90.0594°W /35.1323; -90.0594 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Owned by | Memphis Area Transit Authority | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Line | Illinois Central (CN) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Platforms | 1side platform (formerly more) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tracks | 2 (formerly 10) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Connections |  MATA Main Street TrolleyMATA Riverfront Loop MATA bus; Route 12 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Construction | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Parking | Yes | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bicycle facilities | Yes | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Accessible | Yes | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Other information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Station code | Amtrak:MEM | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| History | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Opened | 1914; 111 years ago (1914) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rebuilt | 1999; 26 years ago (1999) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Passengers | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| FY 2024 | 67,809[1] (Amtrak) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Services | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Memphis Central Station | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Part of | South Main Street Historic District (ID82004054) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Designated CP | September 2, 1982 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Memphis Central Station, referred to asGrand Central Station prior to 1944, is apassenger terminal inMemphis, Tennessee. Located along Main Street and G.E. Patterson Boulevard inDowntown Memphis, it currently a service stop forAmtrak'sCity of New Orleans route, arriving in late evening northbound and in the morning southbound. It is also served by theMATA Trolley system. The building was opened in 1914, and is located within the city'sSouth Main Arts District. It is also a contributing property to theSouth Main Street Historic District of theNational Register of Historic Places, as are theNational Civil Rights Museum and other historic properties within the district boundaries.
%2c_Train_22%2c_the_Cherokee_from_Tucumcari_waiting_at_Memphis_Central_Station_on_April_16%2c_1962_The_RI_shared_Central_Station_with_the_IC_and_Frisco._(22206698640).jpg)
Central Station was built on the site of a former station known as Calhoun Street Station. Both stations were owned by theIllinois Central Railroad or its predecessors. Construction of Memphis Central Station began in September 1912, and the station was opened for service on October 4, 1914. The track design included five stub-end tracks (station tracks 1-5), and five through tracks (station tracks 6-10).
The station was also used byYazoo and Mississippi Valley Railroad,St. Louis-San Francisco Railway, (also known as the Frisco) andChicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway (also known as Rock Island Railroad). Between April 1, 1964, and November 30, 1966, theLouisville and Nashville Railroad was also a tenant, during the time thatMemphis Union Station was closed.
Lavender v. Kurn,327 U.S. 645 (1946) was a case decided by theSupreme Court of the United States dealing with anegligentwrongful death case brought by the estate of an Illinois Central employee, a switchtender at Broadway Crossing. In December 1939, the switchtender had lined Frisco train #106 to back into Central Station. After the train passed, the switchtender was found fatally injured, although the cause could not with certainty be determined to be accidental from being hit by aRPO mail hook or being murdered by a hobo in the area. The relatives of theswitchtender sued for negligence under theFederal Employers Liability Act and the Supreme Court upheld the claim.
Like other large stations across America, the rapid decline of the passenger train network after World War II made Memphis Central Station an aging, nearly deserted monument to an earlier era. Rock Island passenger train service to Memphis ended in November 1967, and Frisco train service ended a month later, leaving Illinois Central as the sole occupant of the station. With the permanent closure of Union Station in 1968, Central Station became the sole intercity station in Memphis.
On May 1, 1971, Amtrak took over nearly all passenger trains in the United States. Amtrak cut back service to a single train, theCity of New Orleans, and large sections of Central Station were closed off and abandoned. Illinois Central offices were moved from the station, and it appeared that the station would eventually be razed, facing the same fate as Union Station.
The station's upkeep deteriorated to an extent that for much of time from the 1970s to the mid-1990s, it had a reputation as one of the worst stations on the Amtrak system. In 1998 the property was acquired by Memphis Area Transit Authority, which undertook a $23.2 million renovation project.[2] Much of the former waiting area would become a public meeting area, the Illinois Central office space on upper floors was converted to condominiums, and Amtrak retained a smaller presence in the former midway area of the station. The station renovation, which was completed in November 1999, helped to speed the renovation and redevelopment of this once deserted area of downtown Memphis.
In anticipation of the landfall ofHurricane Gustav, the city ofNew Orleans began evacuating residents without the means to leave the city, starting on August 30, 2008. One thousand twenty-four evacuees arrived in Memphis via Amtrak.[3]
In 2019 the station underwent a major $55 million remodel that included a new Amtrak ticket office and waiting area. A new luxury hotel was opened in the station: Central Station Hotel, Curio by Hilton. The hotel includes a refurbished ballroom, two restaurants and a bar. TheMATA TrolleyMain Street Lineheritage streetcar was extended to Central Station in 2021.[4]
The station continues to be served by theCity of New Orleans, which has called here since the train's inception in 1949.[2] It previously served the train's nighttime counterpart, the famedPanama Limited.
Presently, this is one of only two Amtrak stations in Tennessee, the other being theNewbern Depot. It is the only Amtrak station in the state with full service; Newbern is aflag stop.
A partial list of named trains in the pre-Amtrak period that served Central Station:
Media related toCentral Station (Memphis, Tennessee) at Wikimedia Commons
