Orlando Health/Amtrak station

Orlando Health/Amtrak
Amtrak Inter-city rail and SunRail commuter rail Station

Front entrance to the 1926-built Orlando Station. Originally used by the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, now by Amtrak.
Location 1400 Sligh Boulevard
Orlando, Florida
Coordinates 28°31′33″N 81°22′53″W / 28.52590°N 81.38130°WCoordinates: 28°31′33″N 81°22′53″W / 28.52590°N 81.38130°W
Owned by City of Orlando
Line(s)

Amtrak:

SunRail:

  SunRail
Platforms 1 side platform, 1 island platform
Tracks 3
Connections Thruway Motorcoach
Lynx bus #40
Construction
Structure type At-Grade
Parking Yes
Bicycle facilities Yes (SunRail)
Disabled access Yes
Other information
Station code ORL
Fare zone Orange
History
Opened 1926
Traffic
Passengers (2013) 160,442[1] Decrease 7% (Amtrak)
Services
Preceding station   Amtrak   Following station
toward Miami
Silver Meteor
Silver Star
TerminusSunset Limited
service suspended
toward Los Angeles
SunRail
Sand Lake Road
Terminus
SunRail
Church Street
toward DeBary
  Future services  
Sand Lake Road
toward Poinciana
SunRail
Phase 2 (2017)
Church Street
toward DeLand
  Former services  
Atlantic Coast Line Railroad
Pine Castle
toward Tampa Union Station
Main Line
Winter Park

Orlando Health/Amtrak station, also known as Orlando station, is a train station in Orlando, Florida. It is served by Amtrak, the national railroad passenger system of the United States, and SunRail, the commuter rail service of Greater Orlando, as well as local and intercity buses. It serves Amtrak's Silver Meteor and Silver Star lines. Built in 1926, the historic station is located approximately one mile south of Downtown Orlando near the campus of Orlando Health.

History

The station was built in 1926 by M. A. Griffith and W. T. Hadlow for the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad. The building was designed in the Spanish Mission style. After Atlantic Coast merged with the Seaboard Air Line Railroad in 1967, the station was used the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad.[2]

In 2014, the City of Orlando started a project to build a second platform for use by the new SunRail commuter rail service. Upgrades to the station for SunRail service included a matching canopy for the second platform and a name change to Orlando Health/Amtrak Station due to its proximity to the main Orlando Health hospital campus, Orlando Regional Medical Center, the Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children and the Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women & Babies.[3] The revamped station opened on May 1, 2014.[4]

In August 2014, the City of Orlando announced a $2.1 million station restoration project on the historic building. The project, which is the first major renovation to the facility since 1990, includes fixing cracks and leaks in the stucco walls and tile roof, pavement repairs, restroom upgrades, repainting of the building exterior, restoration of the original 1926 wood doors and windows, replacement and relocation of the air conditioning system to the roof of the building (which will allow the original entrance on the side of the building to be reopened), and the installation of a wheelchair ramp from the parking lot to the new station entrance.[5] Work officially commenced on September 24, 2014 and is expected to be completed in the fall of 2015.[6]

The station is also serves the Amtrak Thruway Motorcoach bus and Lynx bus route 40. It is also the proposed terminus on the planned Orange Blossom Express commuter rail project out of Lake County.

Connections

References

  1. ↑ "Amtrak Fact Sheet, FY2013, State of Florida" (PDF). Amtrak. December 2013. Retrieved 29 May 2014.
  2. ↑ "Orlando, FL (ORL)" (2014). www.greatamericanstations.com. Accessed April 14, 2015.
  3. ↑ "Orlando Health/Amtrak" (2015). www.sunrail.com. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
  4. ↑ Carchidi, Jim (Apr 9, 2014) "Pre-dawn party: SunRail opens the Orlando Health station". Orlando Business Journal. Retrieved April 14, 2014.
  5. ↑ Tracy, Dan (August 22, 2014). "Downtown Orlando Amtrak station to get $2.1 million face-lift" Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
  6. ↑ "Amtrak Station Restoration Begins" (September 24, 2014). www.cityoforlando.net. Retrieved April 14, 2015.

External links

Media related to Orlando (Amtrak station) (category) at Wikimedia Commons

Part of the restored interior.