Winter Park station

Winter Park
Amtrak Inter-city rail and SunRail commuter rail Station
A Southbound SunRail train departs the new Winter Park station on its way to Florida Hospital.
Location	150 West Morse Boulevard Winter Park, FL 32789
Coordinates	28°35′52″N 81°21′07″W / 28.59772°N 81.35181°WCoordinates: 28°35′52″N 81°21′07″W / 28.59772°N 81.35181°W
Line(s)	Amtrak:   Silver Meteor   Silver Star SunRail:   SunRail
Platforms	2 side platforms
Tracks	2
Connections	: #01, #09, #14, #23, #102, #443[1]
Construction
Structure type	At-Grade
Parking	Adjacent to Station
Disabled access	Yes
Other information
Station code	WPK
Fare zone	Orange
History
Opened	1890(SFR)
Rebuilt	1913, 1962, 2014
Traffic
Passengers (2013)	30,142[2]  9.9% (Amtrak)
Services
Preceding station   Amtrak   Following station Orlando toward Miami Silver Meteor DeLand toward New York City Silver Star Orlando Terminus Sunset Limited service suspended DeLand toward Los Angeles SunRail Florida Hospital Health Village toward Sand Lake Road SunRail Maitland toward DeBary   Future services   Florida Hospital Health Village toward Poinciana SunRail Phase 2 (2017) Maitland toward DeLand   Former services   Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Orlando toward Tampa Union Station Main Line Maitland toward Richmond Broad Street Station

Winter Park station is a train station in Winter Park, Florida. It is served by SunRail, the commuter rail system of Greater Orlando, and Amtrak, the national passenger rail system of the United States. The current station was built in 2014, replacing earlier stations going back to 1890.

History

The previous outdated 1962 station, which was in disrepair

The original Winter Park depot was built in 1890 by the South Florida Railroad ten years after it built a line from Sanford to Orlando. A newer passenger station was built in 1913 by the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad (ACL) and included a freight depot, which is located to the south of the current station. The freight depot was in use by the railroad until 1982 when it was purchased by the city. It is now used as a farmer's market and as a venue for weddings and other special events.^[3][4] A newer modern station was built by the ACL in 1962 directly adjacent to a large city park known as Central Park. It was located one block away from Park Avenue, a street that is lined with upscale boutiques and restaurants.

On February 14, 2013, Pillar Construction Group of Clermont, FL began work on a new $1.2 million station building, which replaced the 1962 era depot. The new station, which was designed in the Craftsman-style to better blend with the city's architecture, includes an improved lobby, artwork and larger restrooms.^[5][6] The new depot was primarily funded through a $950,000 grant from the Federal Transit Administration’s Bus & Bus Facilities program, which was matched with more than $237,000 in local funding from the city.^[7] Following the grand opening of the new station on March 3, 2014, the historic ACL depot was closed and demolished.^{[8][9][10][11]}

In addition to Amtrak, Winter Park station serves as a stop on the SunRail commuter rail system. Operations began on May 1, 2014.^[12] Unlike most SunRail stations, which feature canopies consisting of white aluminum poles supporting sloped green roofs, Winter Park's canopies have traditional white gabled roofs. It also includes ticket vending machines, ticket validators, emergency call boxes, drinking fountains, separate platforms designed for passengers in wheelchairs.

SunRail ridership

On average, the SunRail station at Winter Park sees an average of 779 daily boardings.

Connections

• Lynx;#1, #9, #14, #23, #102, 443.

References

1. http://www.golynx.com/plan-trip/riding-lynx/sunrail-connections.stml
2. "Amtrak Fact Sheet, FY2013, State of Florida" (PDF). Amtrak. December 2013. Retrieved 29 May 2014. External link in |publisher= (help)
3. Surviving Florida Railroad Stations (AmericanRail.com)
4. Existing Railroad Stations in Orange County, Florida
5. Great American Stations. Accessed March 18, 2013.
6. Winter Park breaks ground on new train station for Amtrak, SunRail
7. Great American Stations. Accessed March 18, 2013.
8. "Winter Park SunRail Station ready for grand opening," by Michael W. Freeman (Orlando Sentinel; February 21, 2014)
9. "Winter Park celebrates grand opening of SunRail station," by Michael W. Freeman (Orlando Sentinel; March 3, 2014)
10. "Winter Park unveils new Amtrak/SunRail station," by David Breen,(Orlando Sentinel; March 3, 2014)
11. "Winter Park's aging train station now part of the history books". Orlando Sentinel. 9 June 2014. External link in |publisher= (help)
12. Winter Park/Park Avenue Station (SunRail)

External links

• Media related to Winter Park (Amtrak station) at Wikimedia Commons

• Amtrak – Stations – Winter Park, FL
• Winter Park Station (SunRail)
• Winter Park Amtrak Station (USA Rail Guide – Train Web)
• Winter Park (WPK)--Great American Stations (Amtrak)