Sanford (Amtrak station)

Sanford

Sign for Sanford's Auto Train station
Station statistics
Address 600 South Persimmon Avenue
Sanford, FL 32771
Lines Amtrak:
  Auto Train
Parking Yes
Other information
Opened 1971
Closed 1981 (reopened in 1983)
Rebuilt 2009-2010
Code SFA
Traffic
Passengers (2010) 244,252[1]  4.8%
Services
Preceding station   Amtrak   Following station
Terminus Auto Train
Terminus
    Former services    
Atlantic Coast Line Railroad
Lake Mary
 Main Line
Benson Junction

Sanford is a railroad terminal in Sanford, Florida. It is the southern terminus for Amtrak's Auto Train which runs between this station and Lorton, VA. The original facility, which opened in 1971, was an older and smaller facility than the terminal at Lorton. Currently, the Auto Train loads its passengers on two tracks in Sanford, as no one track is long enough to accommodate all the passenger railcars. Sanford's operation is also unique in that a railroad crossing runs through the middle of the rail yard. Recently, Amtrak and the State of Florida replaced the older station with a new facility that can accommodate larger numbers of passengers more comfortably.[2][3]

Contents

History

The station once served trains run by the now defunct Auto-Train Corporation. It ran the station from 1971 to 1981 when the Auto-Train Corporation fell into bankruptcy forcing service to end. The station was reopened in 1983 when Amtrak revived the Auto Train service.

The former terminal building was replaced by a new structure that opened on 18 October 2010. Construction of the building began on 18 May 2009, after the decision to replace the former building, damaged by hurricanes in 2004, was made, and cost around $10.5 million.[4]

Sanford's non-Auto Train Station

Three-tenths of a mile south of the station used for the Auto-Train, Sanford had another Amtrak station that served the Silver Star, Silver Meteor, and Sunset Limited until August 1, 2005. The station was originally built by the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad in 1913 and rebuilt in 1953. Like most passenger stations, it was acquired by Amtrak upon its inception in 1971. Though Amtrak gave the address as 800 Persimmon Avenue, Suite 100, it was actually located at a dead end of West 8th Street, west of Persimmon Avenue.[5] The proposed Central Florida Commuter Rail system has plans to revive rail service to Sanford with a SunRail station, but rather than utilizing the former Amtrak station, plans call for a new station on Florida State Road 46.[6]

References

  1. ^ "Amtrak Fact Sheet, FY2010, State of Florida" (PDF). Amtrak. November 2010. http://www.amtrak.com/pdf/factsheets/FLORIDA10.pdf. Retrieved 2011-01-06. 
  2. ^ Donald Weinstein, David Warner and Harry Sutton (2008). "Amtrak Auto Train Travel Tips - Stations and Vehicles". On Track On Line. http://www.on-track-on-line.com/autotrain-stations.shtml. Retrieved 2008-03-12. 
  3. ^ "Sanford - Auto Train, FL". Amtrak. 2008. http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=Amtrak/am2Station/Station_Page&c=am2Station&cid=1080080552378&ssid=111. Retrieved 2008-03-12. 
  4. ^ "Sanford Amtrak to open new terminal". Central Florida News 13. 17 October 2010. http://www.cfnews13.com/article/news/2010/october/162682/Sanford-Amtrak-to-open-new-terminal. Retrieved 17 October 2010. 
  5. ^ Sanford Amtrak Passenger Station (USA RailGuide -- TrainWeb)
  6. ^ Sanford/State Road 46 Station (SunRail)

External links

Media related to [//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Sanford_(Amtrak_station) Sanford (Amtrak station)] at Wikimedia Commons