Amtrak Celebrates Groundbreaking for New Auto Train Station in Sanford, FL

New facility will improve passenger service

Ground breaking for the new 600-passenger station was celebrated on Monday, May 18, 2009, in Sanford, FL, as Amtrak began to put into place the last piece of a multi-year plan to bring increased convenience, improved service, and more station amenities to passengers who ride the popular Auto Train.

The current 2,500 square foot station, which was badly damaged in the 2004 hurricane season, will be replaced by a new 10,000 square foot facility with a passenger waiting area, ticket counter, gift shop, café and restrooms.

This new, larger, and up-to-date passenger station fulfills a vision for Auto Train which added new passenger equipment in the 1990s, new car carriers in July 2005 and built a new station and mechanical facility at the northern terminus of the route in Lorton, VA, in 2000.

This $10,000 million project is expected to create hundreds of jobs and will be funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

Last fiscal year, Auto Train transported nearly 235,000 people, 112,000 cars and 1,800 motorcycles from Sanford to Lorton. During fiscal year 2008, ridership on Auto Train increased 7.8 percent over the previous year.

Renovations are scheduled to begin in the middle of June, 2009, and is targeted for completion in the fall of 2010.