United States · Sleeper · Scenic
Amtrak's City of New Orleans runs nightly for about 900 miles between Chicago Union Station and the Union Passenger Terminal in New Orleans, taking a little over nineteen hours through Champaign, Carbondale, Memphis and Jackson.
Chicago → New Orleans
Sleeper · Scenic
Why go overnight
This is the train that goes down the spine of the American middle: out of Chicago in the evening, through the Illinois prairie in the dark, a dawn arrival at Memphis on the bluff above the Mississippi, and then a long southern morning across Mississippi into Louisiana, finishing over the swamps and Lake Pontchartrain into New Orleans.
Aboard overnight
Going north it runs the other way round, so you choose which half you see in daylight.
Through the night
Few American journeys change the landscape, the accents and the food as completely from one end to the other.
The published route runs from Chicago to New Orleans via Homewood, Champaign-Urbana, Carbondale, Memphis Central Station, Jackson, Hammond.
Key stops
Chicago Union StationHomewoodCarbondaleMemphis Central StationHammondNew Orleans Union Passenger Terminal
Chicago Union Station
United States
Homewood
United States
Champaign-Urbana
United States
Carbondale
United States
Memphis Central Station
United States
Jackson
United States
Hammond
United States
New Orleans Union Passenger Terminal
United States
Sleeper / night
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Amtrak's City of New Orleans runs nightly for about 900 miles between Chicago Union Station and the Union Passenger Terminal in New Orleans, taking a little over nineteen hours through Champaign, Carbondale, Memphis and Jackson. It carries coaches and sleeping cars, and it keeps the name of the Illinois Central streamliner that Steve Goodman wrote the song about.
02
Chicago Union Station to New Orleans Union Passenger Terminal via Homewood, Champaign-Urbana, Carbondale, Memphis Central Station, Jackson, Hammond
03
Reservation: required. Direct online booking is recorded. Pricing is recorded as dynamic. Reservations are required on Amtrak long-distance trains; sleeper rooms sell out long before coach seats.
Verified 2026-09-28
Plan the ride
Use the verified journey, booking, season and onboard facts below to decide how to take this experience. Unknowns stay explicit.
This guide does not imply a product variant unless a separate comparison decision is published.
Evidence on demand
Route, onboard, season, fit and booking detail remain available without interrupting the journey above. Unknowns stay visible.
19h 30m
The published route runs from Chicago to New Orleans via Homewood, Champaign-Urbana, Carbondale, Memphis Central Station, Jackson, Hammond.
Key stops
Chicago Union StationHomewoodCarbondaleMemphis Central StationHammondNew Orleans Union Passenger Terminal
Chicago Union Station
United States
Homewood
United States
Champaign-Urbana
United States
Carbondale
United States
Memphis Central Station
United States
Jackson
United States
Hammond
United States
New Orleans Union Passenger Terminal
United States
Jan: Runs daily in each direction, year-round.
These months show when the train runs, which is a service fact. How good each month is for the experience has not been rated yet, so no month is presented as better than another.
Rail enthusiasts
Especially good
The train and the line itself are a large part of the reason to travel.
Slow travellers
Especially good
A long journey where the time on board is the point.
Couples
Good fit
An overnight or set-piece journey that suits travelling as a pair.
You sleep on board
An overnight service, not a daytime sightseeing run.
You cannot just turn up
A reservation is required for this journey.
Our current editorial assessment, for comparing journeys, a considered judgement, not a measurement.
More subjective
Not rated yet: value for money, seat quality, onboard service, slow travel quality, remoteness.
Step-free access and assistance are set out with the practical detail further down rather than reduced to a score.
Prices quoted Amtrak prices coach and room accommodation dynamically, so the fare depends on the date and how full the train is.
Not yet verified: rail pass validity. We leave these blank rather than guess.
This is the operator's own reservation entry point. Fares and availability are confirmed there, not here. Journey length: 19h 30m. Checked 27 Oct 2026 · Amtrak · City of New Orleans.
The detailed source record remains at the end of this guide. Review the evidence.
Your next step
Reservations are required on Amtrak long-distance trains; sleeper rooms sell out long before coach seats.
Check availability with Amtrak (opens in a new tab)This is the operator's own reservation entry point. Fares and availability are confirmed there, not here.
Far by Rail is a discovery guide, not a live timetable or booking service. Confirm times, fares and availability with the operator.
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Journey information is reviewed against published material and maintained as sources change.
Last reviewed 27 Oct 2026.
Official sources
Checked 27 Oct 2026