Sanford (Amtrak station)
| Sanford | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Sign for Sanford's Auto Train station |
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| Station statistics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Address | 600 South Persimmon Avenue Sanford, FL 32771 |
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| Coordinates | 28°48′26″N 81°17′20″W / 28.80709°N 81.28885°WCoordinates: 28°48′26″N 81°17′20″W / 28.80709°N 81.28885°W | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lines | Amtrak: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Parking | Yes | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Other information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Opened | 1971 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Closed | 1981 (reopened in 1983) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rebuilt | 2009-2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Code | SFA | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Traffic | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Passengers (2012) | 264,096[1]  1.6% |
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| Services | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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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]
Designed by d+A design + Architecture, LLC of Yardley, Pennsylvania, the current station has a waiting room for 600 travelers, ticket counter, café, restrooms, and a gift shop. The building also incorporates energy-saving features such as glass coatings that minimize solar gain and efficient HVAC and lighting systems. A portion of the old station abutting the new structure was reconfigured into administrative offices.[4]
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History [edit]
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.[5]
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.[6]
Sanford's non-Auto Train Station [edit]
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.[7] 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.[8]
References [edit]
- ^ "Amtrak Fact Sheet, FY2012, State of Florida" (PDF). Amtrak. December 2012. Retrieved 27 December 2012.
- ^ Donald Weinstein, David Warner and Harry Sutton (2008). "Amtrak Auto Train Travel Tips - Stations and Vehicles". On Track On Line. Retrieved 2008-03-12.
- ^ "Sanford - Auto Train, FL". Amtrak. 2008. Retrieved 2008-03-12.
- ^ Great American Stations. Accessed March 18, 2013.
- ^ Amtrak History and Archives. Accessed March 18, 2013.
- ^ "Sanford Amtrak to open new terminal". Central Florida News 13. 17 October 2010. Retrieved 17 October 2010.
- ^ Sanford Amtrak Passenger Station (USA RailGuide -- TrainWeb)
- ^ Sanford/State Road 46 Station (SunRail)
External links [edit]
Media related to Sanford (Amtrak station) at Wikimedia Commons
