Sanford station is a railroad terminal in Sanford, Florida. It is the southern terminus for Amtrak's 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.^[2][3]

Quick Facts General information, Location ...

Sanford, FL
Auto Train passenger cars at Sanford station in October 2010
General information
Location	600 South Persimmon Avenue Sanford, Florida United States
Coordinates	28.80709°N 81.28885°W / 28.80709; -81.28885
Owned by	Amtrak
Platforms	1 island platform
Connections	Sanford trolley
Construction
Accessible	Yes
Other information
Station code	Amtrak: SFA
History
Opened	1971
Closed	1981–1983
Rebuilt	2009–2010
Passengers
FY 2022	269,381[1] (Amtrak)
Services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station Terminus Auto Train Florence (Service stop only) toward Lorton
Former services Preceding station auto-train Following station Terminus Sanford–Lorton Lorton Terminus Sanford–Louisville 1974–1977 Louisville Terminus
Former services at ACL station Preceding station Amtrak Following station DeLand toward Los Angeles Sunset Limited 1993–2005 Winter Park toward Orlando or Miami Winter Park toward St. Petersburg Floridian DeLand toward Chicago Winter Park toward Miami Silver Meteor Until 2005 DeLand toward New York Silver Star Until 2005 Preceding station Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Following station Lake Mary toward Tampa Main Line Benson Junction toward Richmond New Upsala toward Fort Mason Fort Mason – Sanford Terminus Cedar Avenue toward St. Petersburg Orange Belt Railway

Close

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.

The station was opened in 1971 by the 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 Auto Train service.^[4] In 2004, hurricanes damaged the station building.^[5] 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 solar gain. A portion of the old station abutting the new structure was reconfigured into administrative offices.^[6][7][8]

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 760 feet (230 m) west of Persimmon Avenue.^[9] 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.^[10]