Sanford station (Amtrak)

Sanford station is a railroad terminal in Sanford, Florida. It is the southern terminus for Amtrak's Auto Train, which runs between this station and Lorton, Virginia. Amtrak reported in its fiscal years 2021 and 2022 reports that the station is Amtrak's busiest station in Florida. It reported station ridership of 269,381 according to the 2022 report.[2][3]

This article is about the Amtrak Auto Train station. For the SunRail station, see Sanford station (SunRail).
Sanford, FL
Auto Train passenger cars at Sanford station in October 2010
General information
Location600 South Persimmon Avenue
Sanford, Florida
United States
Coordinates28.80709°N 81.28885°W / 28.80709; -81.28885
Owned byAmtrak
Platforms1 island platform
ConnectionsBus transport Sanford trolley
Construction
AccessibleYes
Other information
Station codeAmtrak: SFA
History
Opened1971
Closed1981–1983
Rebuilt2009–2010
Passengers
FY 2022269,381[1] (Amtrak)
Services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station
Terminus Auto Train Florence
(Service stop only)
toward Lorton
Former services
Preceding station auto-train
 Following station
Terminus Sanford– Lorton Lorton
Terminus
Sanford– Louisville
1974–1977
 Louisville
Terminus
Former services at ACL station
Preceding station Amtrak Following station
DeLand
toward Los Angeles
 Sunset Limited
1993–2005
 Winter Park
toward Orlando or Miami
Winter Park
toward St. Petersburg
 Floridian
 DeLand
toward Chicago
Winter Park
toward Miami
 Silver Meteor
Until 2005
 DeLand
toward New York
Silver Star
Until 2005
Preceding station Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Following station
Lake Mary
toward Tampa
 Main Line Benson Junction
toward Richmond
New Upsala
toward Fort Mason
 Fort Mason – Sanford Terminus
Cedar Avenue
toward St. Petersburg
 Orange Belt Railway

As of 2022, the Auto Train loads its passengers on two tracks in Sanford, as no single track is long enough for all of the passenger railcars. A railroad crossing runs through the middle of Sanford's rail yard, an unusual situation for a modern station and yard.

History

The station was opened in 1971 by the Auto-Train Corporation, a railroad that operated its rolling stock along tracks owned by other railroads. The station and the service closed when the railroad fell into bankruptcy in 1981.

The station was reopened in 1983 when Amtrak revived the Auto Train service.[4] In 2004, hurricanes damaged the station building.[5] The facility was also older and smaller than the terminal at Lorton.

On May 18, 2009, Amtrak broke ground on a new $10.5 million station designed by d+A design + Architecture of Yardley, Pennsylvania. The new building, which opened on October 18, 2010, has a waiting room for 600 travelers, a ticket counter, a café, restrooms, and a gift shop. The building incorporates energy-saving features such as energy-efficient HVAC, lighting, and glass coatings that minimize solar gain. A portion of the old station abutting the new structure was reconfigured into administrative offices.[6][7][8]

Other train stations in Sanford

A second Amtrak station was located three-tenths of a mile south of the Auto Train terminal, which served the Silver Star, Silver Meteor, and Sunset Limited. The station was built by the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad in 1913 and rebuilt in 1953. Like most U.S. passenger stations, it was acquired by Amtrak upon its inception in 1971. Though Amtrak gave the address as 800 Persimmon Avenue, the station was actually located at the end of West 8th Street, about 760 feet (230 m) west of Persimmon Avenue.[9] Amtrak closed the station on August 1, 2005, and demolished it in 2009.

SunRail, the Central Florida commuter rail system, revived local passenger rail service to Sanford when it began operations in 2014. It built a new station on State Road 46 rather than on the site of the former Amtrak station.[10]

References
  1. "Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year 2022: State of Florida" (PDF). Amtrak. June 2023. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
  2. Amtrak Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year 2021, State of Florida https://www.amtrak.com/content/dam/projects/dotcom/english/public/documents/corporate/statefactsheets/FLORIDA21.pdf
  3. Amtrak Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year 2022, State of Florida https://www.amtrak.com/content/dam/projects/dotcom/english/public/documents/corporate/statefactsheets/FLORIDA22.pdf
  4. "Digging into the Archives: A look at the Auto Train — Amtrak: History of America's Railroad". Amtrak History and Archives. Retrieved March 18, 2013.
  5. "Sanford Amtrak to open new terminal". Central Florida News 13. October 17, 2010. Archived from the original on October 21, 2010. Retrieved October 17, 2010.
  6. "Sanford, FL – Auto Train Station (SFA)". Great American Stations (Amtrak). Retrieved March 18, 2013.
  7. Donald Weinstein, David Warner and Harry Sutton (2008). "Amtrak Auto Train Travel Tips – Stations and Vehicles". On Track On Line. Retrieved March 12, 2008.
  8. "Sanford – Auto Train, FL". Amtrak. 2008. Retrieved March 12, 2008.
  9. "Amtrak - Sanford, FL (SFD)". USA RailGuide (TrainWeb). Retrieved 2022-05-19.
  10. "Sanford station". SunRail. Retrieved 2022-05-19.

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