The following railroads operate in the U.S. state of Tennessee.
Common freight carriers BNSF Railway (BNSF) Canadian National Railway (CN) through subsidiary Illinois Central Railroad (IC) Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) Caney Fork and Western Railroad (CFWR) Chattooga and Chickamauga Railway (CCKY) CSX Transportation (CSXT) East Chattanooga Belt Railway (ECTB) EACH Railroad (EACH) East Tennessee Railway (ETRY) Knoxville and Holston River Railroad (KXHR) KWT Railway (KWT) Mississippi Central Railroad (MSCI) Mississippi Tennessee Railroad (MTNR) Nashville and Eastern Railroad (NERR) Nashville and Western Railroad (NWR) Norfolk Southern Railway (NS) including subsidiaries Alabama Great Southern Railroad (AGS), Central of Georgia Railroad (CG), Cincinnati, New Orleans and Texas Pacific Railway (CNTP), Tennessee Railway (TENN), and Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia Railway (TAG) R.J. Corman Railroad/Memphis Line (RJCM) R.J. Corman Railroad/Tennessee Terminal (RJCK) Sequatchie Valley Railroad (SQVR) Smoky Ridge Railroad (SMO); owned by Watco; replaced the Heritage Railroad Corporation (HR) owned by EnergySolutions, LLC, in 2026 South Central Tennessee Railroad (SCTR) Tennessee Southern Railroad (TSRR) Tennken Railroad (TKEN) Tyner Terminal Railroad (TYNT) Union City Terminal Railroad (UCTY) Union Pacific Railroad (UP) Walking Horse and Eastern Railroad (WHOE) West Tennessee Railroad (WTNN)
Private freight carriers Franklin Industries Lhoist North America Southern Freight Logistics Tennessee Valley Authority
Passenger carriers
Amtrak (AMTK) Tennessee Overhill Heritage Association WeGo Star Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum
Defunct railroads