Five grand railroad stations in Florida

A brief look at five of Florida's largest passenger railroad stations.

Orlando Health/Amtrak Station

1400 Sligh Boulevard, Orlando, FL 32806

Located one mile south of Downtown Orlando, the Orlando Health/Amtrak Station was built by A.M. Griffin and W.T. Hadlow for the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad in 1926. Serving Amtrak, the station is the passenger rail system’s fifth busiest in the Southeastern United Stations and the second busiest in Florida. In 2014, a second platform to serve the new SunRail commuter rail service was added to the Spanish Mission style railroad station. Today, Orlando Health/Amtrak Station also serves Lynx bus route 40 and Amtrak Thruway buses.

Tampa Union Station

601 N Nebraska Ave, Tampa, FL 33602

Located between Downtown Tampa and Ybor City, Tampa Union Station was designed by Joseph F. Leitner and opened by the Tampa Union Station Company on May 15, 1912. Originally, the station combined the passenger operations of the Tampa Northern, Atlantic Coast Line and Seaboard Air Line railroads at a single site. Although added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1974, the station was closed in 1984. It reopened to serve Amtrak in 1998 after successful efforts to restore the structure.

Article by Ennis Davis, AICP. Contact Ennis at edavis@moderncities.com