DeLand station explained

Style:Amtrak
DeLand, FL
Address:2491 Old New York Avenue (County Route 4110)
Borough:DeLand, Florida
Country:United States
Coordinates:29.0171°N -81.3524°W
Other: Amtrak Thruway: Daytona Beach[1] [2]
Platform:1 side platform 1 center platform
Tracks:2
Parking:Yes
Bicycle:Yes
Opened:1918
Rebuilt:June 6, 1988
Accessible:Yes
Other Services2 Header:Former services
Other Services2 Collapsible:yes
Mapframe:yes
Mapframe-Custom:
Shape:none
Line:none
Marker:rail
Marker-Color:
  1. 000
Zoom:14

DeLand station is a train station in DeLand, Florida, United States. It is served by Amtrak (the National Railroad Passenger Corporation) and SunRail commuter rail service. It is about three miles west of downtown DeLand, at the location formerly known as DeLand Junction. DeLand station was originally built in 1918,[3] and stood across from the former Volusia County Fairgrounds.

History

When the Jacksonville, Tampa and Key West Railroad (and later the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad) ran passenger service along the line, they also ran local passenger service to Downtown DeLand. The DeLand Spur, which begins immediately south of the DeLand Station (the northern turnout actually cuts across the DeLand Station passenger platform), runs three miles east to Downtown DeLand and terminated at the College Arms Hotel (a public housing high-rise with the same name currently occupies the site). The track ran several blocks east of the hotel to provide freight service to local businesses and was graded all the way to Lake Helen, where it would have connected to the Atlantic and Western Railway, but track was ultimately never laid past Downtown DeLand. The station was acquired by Amtrak and restored in 1988, although a second track at the station fell into disuse and has not been maintained properly since. Up until 2005, when it was truncated to New Orleans, the station also served as a stop for the Sunset Limited.

In 2006, the station was rededicated following a $424,000 restoration undertaken through a partnership between Volusia County, Amtrak, and CSX Transportation; funding primarily came from the Florida Department of Transportation.[4] Work included installation of a new roof and platform canopy, remodeling of the bathrooms, and painting of the building in historically appropriate colors. In 2007, the station received a Preservation Award from the Florida Trust for Historic Preservation.

DeLand station was planned as the northern terminus of the SunRail commuter rail system. This led to the resumption of maintenance of the neglected second track and other station upgrades. The station saw the addition of an 184-space park, ride lot, and bus drop-off area.[5] The station could "spur economic development on the west end of the city, heading toward the St. Johns River."[6] Ground broke on the extension in May 2023.[7] The new service to DeLand began on August 12, 2024.[8]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Amtrak Passenger Trains . Daytona Beach Area Convention and Visitors Bureau . May 25, 2024.
  2. Web site: Silver Meteor Timetable . . May 25, 2024 . 11.
  3. Book: Mulligan . Michael . Railroad Depots of Central Florida . 2008 . . 9780738553900 . 20.
  4. Web site: DeLand, FL (DLD) . Great American Stations . March 12, 2013 . Amtrak.
  5. Web site: DeLand Amtrak Station (SunRail) . 2009-03-29 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090228175005/http://www.sunrail.com/station.asp?loc=DeLand . 2009-02-28 . dead .
  6. News: Harper . Mark . SunRail at 5: Ridership for commuter train is growing, but will it ever run to DeLand? . 20 July 2019 . Gatehouse Media . May 25, 2019.
  7. News: Dahm . Daniel . SunRail breaks ground on new DeLand station . 29 June 2023 . ClickOrlando.com . 22 May 2023.
  8. News: Myrie . Donovan . SunRail's DeLand station is finally open. Here’s what’s next for the rail system . August 12, 2024 . WKMG . August 12, 2024 . en.