Rail ramps and equipment depots in Memphis

Memphis intermodal is a tri-state planning problem. UP Marion is across the Mississippi in Arkansas, Norfolk Southern Rossville is east of the city, BNSF uses Lamar Avenue, and the CN/CSX references sit in the Riverport area. Equipment yards extend into West Memphis and Olive Branch as well as Memphis itself.

A shipment described as “Memphis rail” therefore needs a named terminal before its local truck leg can be assessed. The receiver’s location and the authorized equipment return can add another cross-metro or river-crossing movement after the loaded pickup.

Memphis-region rail and equipment directory

Rail ramps

Equipment depots and yards

CN and CSX services in the Riverport district need their own release and gate instructions. Include the booked carrier with the road address when assigning the pickup.

Four operating areas behind the Memphis name

UP Marion is at 5500 Kuhn Road in Marion, Arkansas. The UP terminal page identifies the facility and its container/trailer capability. Keep Marion and Arkansas on the order. A Memphis-area customer does not change the fact that the truck starts on the other side of the river.

NS Rossville is recorded at 3000 Norfolk Southern Way with a Collierville postal address. Rossville, Collierville, and Memphis may appear in descriptions of the same rail-market reference. Match the street address and NS release rather than treating the city labels as separate ramps.

BNSF Memphis is the Lamar Avenue facility, also encountered under the Shelby name. Use the railroad’s facility resources for its current driver information. Several equipment yards also use Lamar Avenue or nearby streets; an operator name and street number are necessary to distinguish the rail pickup from a later yard visit.

The Riverport district contains the CN and CSX facilities at 3588 Riverport Road and 3588 Paul R. Lowry Road. CN’s terminal directory uses Paul R. Lowry Road for its Memphis terminal. Follow the booked carrier’s current gate and release instructions rather than assuming the carrier services are interchangeable.

Rossville international pickups need appointment planning

NS’s Rossville stack-operation notice introduced appointments for international traffic in May 2023. The railroad’s current intermodal resources continue to identify Rossville’s international stack operation. Check the applicable procedure and current booking before assigning the truck.

The terminal appointment and the receiver’s unloading appointment are separate commitments. Arrange them in a sequence that allows the actual pickup and local trip. A customer’s morning slot does not establish that the container can be collected in time, particularly if the terminal transaction has not yet been arranged.

For a stacked collection, settle chassis supply and required handling before arrival. Give dispatch the unit, release, terminal appointment, and customer appointment together. If any one changes, reassess the sequence rather than preserving the old delivery time after its pickup assumption has failed.

An outbound international movement needs the same care in reverse. Coordinate empty collection, loading, terminal acceptance, and the receiving appointment. Use the actual booking and current NS instructions rather than applying a domestic equipment process to an ocean container.

Select a yard for the work it will perform

IMC’s Memphis facility on East Holmes Road describes grounded and wheeled storage, lifting, maintenance, reefer support, and steamship-line interchange. The distinction between grounded and wheeled capacity is useful when planning a hold: one requires handling to remove and later remount the box, while the other keeps a chassis committed during storage.

MRS-CMC has separate Plant Road and Clarke Road references. Use the assigned address for repair or equipment work rather than assuming the operator name identifies one Memphis yard. ConGlobal on East Brooks Road, STG on Lamar Avenue, and the other Memphis entries likewise need a defined transaction and owner authorization.

For Forward, reconcile the receiving yard before dispatch. The former Chickasaw operator’s contact page gives 2921 Ketchum Road, while Forward’s service map lists a Memphis intermodal yard/office at 1513 Corporate Avenue. The published information does not establish whether one replaces the other or whether they serve different purposes. Ask Forward to identify the physical yard accepting the particular unit.

Olive Branch’s State Line Road reference and West Memphis’s Kuhn Road reference are additional local destinations, not alternate addresses for a Memphis-city depot. Include their state and street in the itinerary. A nearby return may be convenient only if the equipment owner has designated it.

For refrigerated cargo, distinguish transport requirements from powered storage or equipment service. Ask the operator to confirm the relevant facility, capacity, and monitoring arrangement for the actual unit. A mention of reefer capability should not be read as a reservation for an arriving shipment.

Compare routes across the whole delivery cycle

Take an Arkansas-side pickup for a Tennessee receiver with a Mississippi equipment return. All three locations belong in the proposal. A price based only on the loaded Marion-to-receiver leg leaves the final equipment movement unresolved.

For a live unload, coordinate the customer’s receiving time with the return window. For a drop, agree on the empty-ready notice and later collection. If an approved hold is needed, name the yard, storage condition, and collecting party. Avoid describing the entire sequence as a single Memphis stop.

When cargo transfers into a warehouse or another trailer, include handling and the empty return after stripping. The transloading guide explains how that differs from delivering an intact container.