Sanford station is a

SunRail SunRail is a commuter rail system in the Greater Orlando, Florida, area. Services began on May 1, 2014. The system comprises 17 stations along a former CSX Transportation line connecting Volusia County and Osceola County through Downtown Orla ...

commuter rail station in

Sanford, Florida Sanford is a city and the county seat of Seminole County, Florida, United States. It is located in Central Florida and its population was 61,051 as of the 2020 census. It is part of the Orlando–Kissimmee–Sanford Metropolitan Statistical ...

. 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. Sanford is typical of most SunRail stations featuring canopies consisting of white aluminum poles supporting sloped green roofs and includes ticket vending machines, ticket validators, emergency call boxes, drinking fountains, and separate platforms designed for passengers in wheelchairs. The station is located along the north side of S.R. 46, diagonally across the road from the Sanford Amtrak Auto Train station. Other Amtrak trains that share the right-of-way with SunRail are the ''

Silver Meteor The ''Silver Meteor'' is a Long-distance Amtrak routes, 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 t ...

'' and ''

Silver Star The Silver Star Medal (SSM) is the United States Armed Forces' third-highest military decoration for valor in combat. The Silver Star Medal is awarded primarily to members of the United States Armed Forces for gallantry in action against a ...

'' trains, neither of which stop at either Sanford station. The station is also located just south of Rand Yard, a small rail yard used by CSX for freight car storage as well as SunRail for equipment maintenance and storage.

History

The Sanford station was built along tracks originally laid down by the

Jacksonville, Tampa and Key West Railroad The Jacksonville, Tampa and Key West Railway was a railroad and steamboat network in Florida at the end of the 19th century. Most of its lines became part of the Plant System in 1899 and the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad in 1902. The line remains ...

, which was acquired by the

Plant System The Plant System, named after its owner, Henry B. Plant, was a system of railroads and steamboats in the U.S. South, taken over by the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad in 1902. The original line of the system was the Savannah, Florida and Western ...

, and later by the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad (ACL). Sanford's ACL Depot, however, was built along the tracks used by the

South Florida Railroad The South Florida Railroad was a railroad from Sanford, Florida, to Tampa, Florida, becoming part of the Plant System in 1893 and the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad in 1902. It served as the southernmost segment of the Atlantic Coast Line's ma ...

, which was also acquired by the Plant System and later acquired by ACL. The original station was built by the ACL in 1913, and a new modern station replaced the original depot in 1953. As with many ACL Depots, it became a

Seaboard Coast Line Railroad The Seaboard Coast Line Railroad was a Class I railroad company operating in the Southeastern United States beginning in 1967. Its passenger operations were taken over by Amtrak in 1971. Eventually, the railroad was merged with its affiliate lin ...

station when the ACL merged with the

Seaboard Air Line Railroad The Seaboard Air Line Railroad , known colloquially as the Seaboard Railroad during its time, was an American railroad that existed from April 14, 1900, until July 1, 1967, when it merged with the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, its longtime ri ...

in 1967. Like most passenger stations, it was acquired by Amtrak upon its inception in April 1971. In December of that same year, the

Auto-Train Corporation Auto-Train Corporation , stylized ''auto-train'', was a privately owned passenger railroad that operated from 1971 to 1981. Its trains included autorack cars, enabling passengers to bring their own vehicles on their journey. The company used it ...

built a terminal for its operations nearby. Auto-Train took passengers and their cars and other vehicles to

Lorton, Virginia Lorton is a census-designated place (CDP) in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. The population was 20,072 as of the 2020 census. History Lorton is named for a village in the Lake District National Park, Cumbria, in England. Joseph Plaske ...

, and later

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville is the List of cities in Kentucky, most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeastern United States, Southeast, and the list of United States cities by population, 27th-most-populous city ...

. Lack of success from the Louisville expansion, high crew costs and several accidents threw the company into bankruptcy, and Auto-Train Corporation was forced to end its services in late April 1981. Amtrak acquired

Auto Train ''Auto Train'' is an scheduled daily train service for passengers and their automobiles operated by Amtrak between Lorton, Virginia (near Washington, D.C.), and Sanford, Florida (near Orlando, Florida, Orlando). ''Auto Train'' is the only mot ...

in 1983, and still operates this service between Sanford and Lorton today. Sanford SunRail Station Entrance

In its waning years, the former ACL depot served the ''

'', ''

'', and ''

Sunset Limited The ''Sunset Limited'' is a long-distance passenger train run by Amtrak, operating on a route between New Orleans and Los Angeles. Major stops include Houston, San Antonio and El Paso in Texas, as well as Tucson, Arizona. Opening in 1894 thr ...

'' until Amtrak closed the station on August 1, 2005, leaving Auto Train as the only passenger service to serve Sanford. The abandoned 1953-era ACL station deteriorated through the years and was eventually demolished in 2009. In the meantime, the

Central Florida Commuter Rail SunRail is a commuter rail system in the Greater Orlando, Florida, area. Services began on May 1, 2014. The system comprises 17 stations along a former CSX Transportation line connecting Volusia County and Osceola County through Downtown Orland ...

agency vowed to return passenger service to Sanford, and on May 1, 2014, the Sanford SunRail station was opened to the public. The station is served by four Orlando Lynx bus routes. There is also trolley-replica bus between the station and Downtown Sanford.Free Trolley Service (City of Sanford)
/ref>

References

External links

Sanford/State Road 46 SunRail Station (Official site)
{{SunRail , state=expanded SunRail stations Railway stations in the United States opened in 2014 Transportation buildings and structures in Seminole County, Florida 2014 establishments in Florida