Located minutes from downtown, Memphis International Airport is served by international, regional, and commuter airlines. Expansion efforts in the late 1990s valued at $100 million included improvements to the concourse, taxiways, control tower, waiting areas, ticketing operations, parking facilities, and servicing systems, as well as land acquisition for further development. More enhancements at a cost of approximately $25 million are currently underway with completion expected in summer of 2005, including a concourse renovation, jet bridge improvements, and concessionaire upgrades. Other airports in the Memphis area include General DeWitt Spain Airport, Charles W. Baker Airport, Arlington Municipal Airport, Olive Branch Airport, and West Memphis Municipal Airport. Interstate highway I-40 approaches Memphis from North Carolina to the east and California to the west, while interstate highway I-55 approaches the city from Chicago, Illinois, to the north and New Orleans, Louisiana, to the south. Interstate loop I-240 rings the city. Motor traffic also enters Memphis via U.S. highways 51, 61, 64, 70, 72, 78, and 79. Amtrak offers passenger train service through Memphis's historic, recently renovated Central Station.
A fleet of more than 200 buses and vans operated by Memphis Area Transit Authority (MATA) meets public mass transportation needs. Ten specially designed double-decker Showboat buses connect major activity centers in midtown Memphis with downtown Memphis. The Main Street Trolley, utilizing vintage trolley cars, operates between Auction and Calhoun streets.