DeLand station is a train station in

DeLand, Florida DeLand is a city in central Florida. It is the county seat of Volusia County. The city sits approximately north of the central business district of Orlando, and approximately west of the central business district of Daytona Beach. As of the 2020 ...

, United States. It is served by

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...

(the National Railroad Passenger Corporation). It is about three miles west of downtown DeLand, at the location formerly known as DeLand Junction. DeLand station was originally built in 1918, and stood across from the former Volusia County Fairgrounds. It is scheduled to be served by the

SunRail SunRail is a commuter rail system in the Greater Orlando, Florida, area. Services began on May 1, 2014. The system comprises 16 stations along a former CSX Transportation line connecting Volusia County and Osceola County through Downtown Orland ...

commuter rail Commuter rail, or suburban rail, is a passenger rail transport service that primarily operates within a metropolitan area, connecting commuters to a central city from adjacent suburbs or commuter towns. Generally commuter rail systems are con ...

service in the future.

History

When the

Jacksonville, Tampa and Key West Railroad The Jacksonville, Tampa and Key West Railway was a railroad and steamboat network in Florida, USA at the end of the 19th century. Most of its lines became part of the Plant System in 1899 and the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad in 1902. The line r ...

(and later the

Atlantic Coast Line Railroad The Atlantic Coast Line Railroad was a United States Class I railroad formed in 1900, though predecessor railroads had used the ACL brand since 1871. In 1967 it merged with long-time rival Seaboard Air Line Railroad to form the Seaboard Coast L ...

) 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 The Atlantic and Western Railway is a Class III short-line railroad operating about of track in Lee County, North Carolina. Atlantic and Western is part of Genesee & Wyoming Inc. and formerly part of Rail Management and Consulting. It was ...

, 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 The ''Sunset Limited'' is an Amtrak passenger train that for most of its history has operated between New Orleans and Los Angeles, over the nation's second transcontinental route. However, up until Hurricane Katrina in 2005, it operated betwe ...

. 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. 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. I hear that train a comin by thrashbandicoot01 dd728sn

I hear that train a comin by thrashbandicoot01 dd728sn

Future SunRail service

DeLand station is planned to be the northern terminus of the planned

commuter rail system. This will lead to resumed maintenance of the neglected second track along with other upgrades to the station. The station could also see the addition of a 184 space park and ride lot and a bus drop off area. The station could "spur economic development on the west end of the city, heading toward the St. Johns River".

References

External links

DeLand Amtrak Station and Downtown Spur (USA Rail Guide — Train Web)DeLand SunRail Station ConceptDeLand SunRail Station Redevelopment Plan
{{SunRail , state=expanded Amtrak stations in Florida Former Atlantic Coast Line Railroad stations Amtrak Thruway Motorcoach stations in Florida Transportation buildings and structures in Volusia County, Florida SunRail stations DeLand, Florida 1918 establishments in Florida Railway stations in the United States opened in 1918