Orlando, FL | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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General information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Location | 1400 Sligh Boulevard Orlando, Florida United States | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Coordinates | 28°31′33″N81°22′53″W / 28.52590°N 81.38130°W | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Owned by | City of Orlando | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Platforms | 1 side platform, 1 island platform | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Tracks | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Connections | Amtrak Thruway Lynx: 40 [1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Construction | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Parking | Yes | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Bicycle facilities | Yes | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Accessible | Yes | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Other information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Station code | Amtrak: ORL | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Fare zone | Orange (SunRail) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
History | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Opened | 1926 (ACL) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rebuilt | May 1, 2014 (SunRail) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Passengers | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
FY 2023 | 135,614 annually [2] (Amtrak) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
FY2018 | 32,166 annually [3] 2.8%(SunRail) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Services | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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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 Floridian lines. Built in 1926, the historic station is located in Downtown Orlando approximately one mile south of the central business district, near the campus of Orlando Health. Serving 160,442 passengers at last measure in 2013, The station is Amtrak's fifth busiest in the Southeastern United States; it is the second busiest Amtrak station in Florida, behind the Sanford station of the Auto Train.
The station was built in 1926 by A.M. Griffin and W. T. Hadlow for the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad (ACL). The building was designed in the Spanish Mission style. It became part of the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad after the Coast line merged with the Seaboard Air Line Railroad in 1967. [4]
Prior to the decline in operations in the 1950s and 1960s several long distance trains operated by the ACL ran through the station.
Shuttle sections that fed off these trains in Jacksonville, to points south. In Jacksonville connections could be made with trains that originated in either Chicago or Cincinnati: [5]
For a period after a strike on the Florida East Coast Railway interrupted service on its coastal route, from 1964 to 1968, the ACL and its successor, the SCL, ran trains making local stops down the Atlantic Coast from Jacksonville to Miami, notably including a stop in Orlando. This provided the first direct rail service from Orlando to Miami. [6] [7] [8]
Amtrak continued the Champion, and also added a St. Petersburg section to the Silver Star that also called at Orlando. Until 1979, the St. Petersburg section of the Chicago-originating Floridian stopped in Orlando as well. The Champion was folded into the Silver Meteor in 1979, and both it and the Silver Star continued to serve Orlando via Tampa Bay sections (which terminated in St. Petersburg before 1984 and in Tampa after 1984).
In 1993, the Sunset Limited was extended to South Florida, thus providing the first one-seat ride between Orlando and Miami since 1968. [9] Starting in the fall of 1996, the Silver Meteor and Silver Star were routed through Orlando after both trains dropped their Tampa Bay sections. The Sunset Limited was shortened to Sanford. [10] Later in the decade, the Sunset Limited was extended to Orlando again. [11] As a result of Hurricane Katrina, the Sunset Limited was suspended east of New Orleans in 2005. On November 10, 2024, the Silver Star was merged with the Capitol Limited as the Floridian. [12]
In 2014, the City of Orlando started a project to build a second platform for use by the new SunRail commuter rail service. Unlike most SunRail stations, which feature shelters consisting of white aluminum poles supporting sloped green roofs, the station's canopies feature arches that resemble the mission-style architecture of the adjacent historic station's canopy. It also includes ticket vending machines, ticket validators, emergency call boxes, drinking fountains, and separate platforms designed for passengers in wheelchairs. The station was officially named 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. [13] The revamped station opened on May 1, 2014. [14]
In August 2014, the City of Orlando announced a $2.1 million station restoration project for the historic building. The project, which was the first major renovation to the facility since 1990, included 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 allowed 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. [15] Work officially commenced on September 24, 2014 and was completed on June 29, 2015. [16] [17] The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2022. [18]
The station also serves Amtrak Thruway buses and Lynx bus route 40. It is also the proposed terminus on the planned Orange Blossom Express commuter rail project out of Lake County.
Silver Service was a brand applied by Amtrak to its long-distance trains running along the United States East Coast between New York City and Miami, Florida. It comprised two trains – the Silver Meteor and Silver Star. Since November 2024, the Silver Star has been temporarily combined with the Capitol Limited to form the Floridian, a Chicago–Washington–Miami route. The Silver Service brand was subsequently quietly discontinued for an indefinite period at the same time.
The Silver Meteor is a long-distance passenger train operated by Amtrak between New York City and Miami, Florida. Introduced in 1939 as the first diesel-powered streamliner between New York and Florida, it was the flagship train of the Seaboard Air Line Railroad (SAL) and one of the flagship trains of its successor, the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad (SCL). The train was transferred to Amtrak when it took over intercity passenger rail service in 1971.
The Silver Star is a temporarily discontinued long-distance passenger train operated by Amtrak on a 1,522-mile (2,449 km) route between New York City and Miami via Washington, D.C.; Richmond, Virginia; Raleigh, North Carolina; Columbia, South Carolina; Savannah, Georgia; Jacksonville, Florida; and Tampa, Florida.
DeLand station is a train station in DeLand, Florida, United States, located west of the downtown area. It is served by SunRail commuter rail service and Amtrak Floridian and Silver Meteor intercity service.
The Floridian was a train operated by Amtrak from 1971 to 1979 that ran between Chicago and Florida, with two branches south of Jacksonville terminating at Miami and St. Petersburg. For its Nashville to Montgomery segment, its route followed that of several former Louisville & Nashville Railroad (L&N) passenger trains, including the Pan-American and the Humming Bird. Originating in Chicago, the train served Lafayette and Bloomington, Indiana; Louisville and Bowling Green, Kentucky; Nashville, Tennessee; Decatur, Birmingham, Montgomery and Dothan, Alabama; and Thomasville, Valdosta and Waycross, Georgia.
The Ocala Union Station is a bus station and former train station in Ocala, Florida, United States. It is located at 531 Northeast First Avenue, and was built in 1917 by both the Atlantic Coast Line and Seaboard Air Line Railroad. Prior to this, ACL and SAL had separate depots in Ocala. The former ACL station was originally built by the Florida Southern Railroad, while the former SAL station was built by the Florida Transit and Peninsular Railroad. On December 22, 1997, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.
Dade City station is a railroad station and historic site located in Dade City, Florida, United States. The station is located on CSX's S-Line, which runs along the east side of the building. On July 15, 1994, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.
Palatka station is an Amtrak train station in Palatka, Florida. It is served by the daily Floridian and Silver Meteor trains. The 1908-built station houses the Palatka Railroad Preservation Society and the David Browning Railroad Museum. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1988 as Old A.C.L. Union Depot.
Winter Park station is a train station in Winter Park, Florida. It is served by SunRail commuter rail service and Amtrak Floridian and Silver Meteor intercity trains. The current station was built in 2014, coinciding with the introduction of SunRail service. Prior stations in the city, dating back to 1882, were constructed by the South Florida Railroad and Atlantic Coast Line Railroad.
Sebring station is an Amtrak train station in Sebring, Florida, United States. It is served by the Floridian and Silver Meteor.
The Champion was a streamlined passenger train operated by the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad and Florida East Coast Railway between New York City and Miami or St. Petersburg, Florida. It operated from 1939 until 1979, continuing under the Seaboard Coast Line and Amtrak. It was a direct competitor to the Seaboard Air Line Railway's Silver Meteor, the first New York-Florida streamliner.
The South Wind was a named passenger train equipped and operated jointly by the Pennsylvania Railroad, the Louisville and Nashville Railroad, the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, and the Florida East Coast Railway. The South Wind began operations in December 1940, providing streamliner service between Chicago, Illinois and Miami, Florida. This was one of three new seven-car, all-coach streamliners operating in coordination every third day along different routes between Chicago and Miami. The other two longest enduring Chicago-Florida trains were the City of Miami and the Dixie Flagler. The South Wind remained in service through the creation of Amtrak in 1971.
The City of Miami was a seven-car coach streamliner inaugurated by Illinois Central Railroad on December 18, 1940. Its route was from Chicago to Miami a total distance of 1,493 miles (2,403 km).
Wildwood station is a bus station, and former train station, in Wildwood, Florida. It serves Amtrak Thruway buses and formerly served trains for Amtrak and other rail companies. The station is located on 601 North Main Street in Wildwood, Florida. Along with the northern terminus of Florida's Turnpike, the station gave Wildwood a reason to refer to itself as "The Crossroads of Florida."
Waldo station is a former train station in Waldo, Florida along the CSX S-Line. It serves Amtrak Thruway buses and previously served trains for Amtrak and other rail operators. The station is located at the interchange of US 301 and State Road 24 in Waldo, Florida.
St. Petersburg station was a passenger train station in St. Petersburg, Florida. Located northwest of downtown, its former address was 3601 31st Street North, though access to the site is now only from 37th Avenue North.
The Florida Western and Northern Railroad was a subsidiary of the Seaboard Air Line Railroad that expanded their network in the 1920s by building a rail line from Coleman, Florida all the way to West Palm Beach via Auburndale and Sebring, a distance of 204 miles. The line would be extended to Miami by the Seaboard-All Florida Railway, another Seaboard Air Line subsidiary, shortly after with the full line from Coleman to Miami becoming the Seaboard Air Line's Miami Subdivision. The line is still in service today from Auburndale to West Palm Beach and is now operated by Seaboard successor CSX Transportation as their Auburndale Subdivision.
Sanford station is a SunRail commuter rail station in Sanford, Florida. It is the penultimate station in SunRail's phase one. It opened May 1, 2014, and marks the nine-year return of regular passenger rail service to Sanford following the closure of the Amtrak station in 2005. Sanford station is the northernmost SunRail station within Seminole County.
The Clearwater Subdivision is a railroad line owned by CSX Transportation in the Tampa Bay region of Florida. The line begins just east of downtown Tampa in Gary and heads north through some of Tampa's suburban neighborhoods. In Sulphur Springs, the Clearwater Subdivision turns and runs west through Oldsmar, where it crosses Tampa Bay. It briefly shifts south running through Safety Harbor, and then heads west again to Clearwater. In Clearwater, it turns southeast, running through Largo and Pinellas Park before terminating at Fifth Avenue North in St. Petersburg near Tropicana Field. The distance from Gary to St. Petersburg along the line is 48.6 miles (78.2 km). At the line's north end it continues from the Tampa Terminal Subdivision and at its south end the track comes to an end.
Clearwater station was an Amtrak train station in Clearwater, Florida, served by the Floridian until 1979 and the Silver Service until February 1, 1984. Thereafter, it continued to be used for Amtrak Thruway motor coach service until 1995, connecting to Amtrak Silver Service trains at Tampa Union Station.