View source for Engineering:Sanford station (Amtrak)

{{Short description|Amtrak rail station in Sanford, Florida}}
{{Infobox station
| style = Amtrak
| name = Sanford, FL
| image = Sanford FL Amtrak02 (cropped).jpg
| image_caption = ''Auto Train'' passenger cars at Sanford station in October 2010
| address = 600 South Persimmon Avenue
| borough = Sanford, Florida
| country = United States
| coordinates = {{coord|28.80709|-81.28885|type:railwaystation_region:US-FL|display=inline,title}}
| owned = Amtrak
| platform = 1 [[Engineering:Island platform|island platform]]
| tracks = 
| connections = {{bus icon}} Sanford trolley
| parking = 
| bicycle = 
| accessible = Yes
| opened = 1971
| rebuilt = 2009–2010
| closed = 1981–1983
| mpassengers = {{rail pass box|system=Amtrak|passengers={{Amtrak ridership|Sanford}}{{Amtrak ridership|citationFL}}|pass_year={{Amtrak ridership|date}}}}
| services = {{Adjacent stations|system=Amtrak|line=Auto Train|right=Florence|note-right=(Service stop only)}}
| other_services_header = Former services
| other_services_collapsible = yes
| other_services = {{Adjacent stations|system=Auto-Train
|line1=Sanford-Lorton|right1=Lorton
|line2=Sanford-Louisville|right2=Louisville|to-right2=Louisville|note-mid2=1974–1977}}
| other_services2_header = Former services at ACL station
| other_services2_collapsible = yes
| other_services2 = {{Adjacent stations
   |system1=Amtrak
     |line1=Sunset Limited|left1=DeLand|right1=Winter Park|type1=East|note-mid1=1993–2005
     |line2=Floridian|left2=Winter Park|right2=DeLand|type2=St. Petersburg
     |line3=Silver Meteor|left3=Winter Park|right3=DeLand|note-mid3=Until 2005
     |line4=Silver Star|left4=Winter Park|right4=DeLand|note-mid4=Until 2005
   |system5=Atlantic Coast Line Railroad
     |line5=Main Line|left5=Lake Mary|right5=Benson Junction
|line6=Fort Mason-Sanford|left6=New Upsala
|line7=Orange Belt Railway|left7=Cedar Avenue
   }}
}}

'''Sanford station''' is a railroad terminal in Sanford, Florida. It is the southern terminus for Amtrak's ''[[Engineering:Auto Train|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.<ref>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</ref><ref>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</ref>

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 [[Company:Auto-Train Corporation|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 ''[[Engineering:Auto Train|Auto Train]]'' service.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Digging into the Archives: A look at the Auto Train — Amtrak: History of America’s Railroad |url=https://history.amtrak.com/blogs/blog/digging-into-the-archives-a-look-at-the-auto-train |access-date=March 18, 2013 |website=Amtrak History and Archives}}</ref> In 2004, hurricanes damaged the station building.<ref>{{Cite news |date=October 17, 2010 |title=Sanford Amtrak to open new terminal |publisher=Central Florida News 13 |url=http://www.cfnews13.com/article/news/2010/october/162682/Sanford-Amtrak-to-open-new-terminal |url-status=dead |accessdate=October 17, 2010 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20101021224045/http://www.cfnews13.com/article/news/2010/october/162682/Sanford-Amtrak-to-open-new-terminal |archivedate=October 21, 2010}}</ref> 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 [[Astronomy:Solar gain|solar gain]]. A portion of the old station abutting the new structure was reconfigured into administrative offices.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sanford, FL – Auto Train Station (SFA) |url=https://www.greatamericanstations.com/stations/sanford-auto-train-fl-sfa/ |access-date=March 18, 2013 |website=Great American Stations (Amtrak) |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Donald Weinstein, David Warner and Harry Sutton |year=2008 |title=Amtrak Auto Train Travel Tips – Stations and Vehicles |url=http://www.on-track-on-line.com/autotrain-stations.shtml |website=On Track On Line |accessdate=March 12, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |year=2008 |title=Sanford – Auto Train, FL |url=http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=Amtrak/am2Station/Station_Page&c=am2Station&cid=1080080552378&ssid=111 |publisher=Amtrak |accessdate=March 12, 2008}}</ref>

== 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 {{Convert|760|ft}} west of Persimmon Avenue.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Amtrak - Sanford, FL (SFD) |url=http://www.trainweb.org/usarail/sanford.htm |access-date=2022-05-19 |website=USA RailGuide (TrainWeb)}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sanford station |url=https://sunrail.com/station/sanford/ |access-date=2022-05-19 |website=SunRail |language=en-US}}</ref>

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
* [http://www.on-track-on-line.com/autotrain-stations.shtml Detailed station and Auto Train info]
* [http://www.trainweb.org/usarail/sanfordauto.htm Sanford Amtrak-Auto Train Station (USA Rail Guide -- TrainWeb)]
*[http://www.themetrains.com/auto-train-facilities-sanford-terminal.htm Original Sanford Terminal images (Theme Trains.com)]
[[Category:Auto Train]]

{{Sourceattribution|Sanford station (Amtrak)}}