Sand Lake Road station is a

train station A train station, railway station, railroad station or depot is a railway facility where trains stop to load or unload passengers, freight or both. It generally consists of at least one platform, one track and a station building providing suc ...

in the Pine Castle area of

Orange County, Florida Orange County is located in the central portion of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,429,908, making it Florida's fifth most populous county. The county seat is Orlando. Orange County is the central county ...

. The station serves

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 ...

, the

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 of

Central Florida Central Florida is a region of the U.S. state of Florida. Different sources give different definitions for the region, but as its name implies it is usually said to comprise the central part of the state, including the Tampa Bay area and the Gr ...

. The station was the southern terminus of SunRail up until July 30, 2018, when service was extended south to Poinciana. The station is the first passenger station to exist in Pine Castle since the decline of service from 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 ...

Station

The Sand Lake Road station began construction in 2013, built on a parcel of previously undeveloped land on Orange Avenue ( SR 527), just north of Sand Lake Road. It is flanked by industrial buildings to the north, and a

McDonald's McDonald's Corporation is an American Multinational corporation, multinational fast food chain store, chain, founded in 1940 as a restaurant operated by Richard and Maurice McDonald, in San Bernardino, California, United States. They rechri ...

restaurant to the south. Sand lake Road Station is typical of most SunRail stations featuring canopies consisting of white aluminum poles supporting sloped green roofs and includes ticket vending machines, ticket validators, emergency call boxes, drinking fountains, and separate platforms designed for passengers in wheelchairs. The station is located along the former

CSX A-Line CSX Transportation , known colloquially as simply CSX, is a Class I freight railroad operating in the Eastern United States and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. The railroad operates approximately 21,000 route miles () of track. ...

(originally constructed by the

South Florida Railroad The South Florida Railroad was a railroad from Sanford, Florida, to Tampa, Florida, becoming part of the Plant System in 1893 and the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad in 1902. It served as the southernmost segment of the Atlantic Coast Line's ma ...

) and is located just north of Taft Yard, a small CSX freight yard. Parking and bicycle lock facilities are provided, along with SunCard vending stations that take cash, credit or debit cards. The station serves the communities of Pine Castle, Sky Lake, Belle Isle and Taft. It is also served by the

Lynx A lynx is a type of wild cat. Lynx may also refer to: Astronomy * Lynx (constellation) * Lynx (Chinese astronomy) * Lynx X-ray Observatory, a NASA-funded mission concept for a next-generation X-ray space observatory Places Canada * Lynx, Ontar ...

bus system via Links 11, 18, 42 and 111, along with two new routes: Xpress Link 208, which connects it to the Lynx Intermodal Terminal in

Kissimmee Kissimmee ( ) is the largest city and county seat of Osceola County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 79,226. It is a Principal City of the Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, Florida, Metropolitan Statistical Area, wh ...

; and FastLink 418, which connects it to Meadow Woods,

Lake Nona Lake Nona is a 17-square-mile master-planned community in Orlando, Florida recognized as a model for “How to build a great American City”. The community is known for focused initiatives on community, technology, mobility, and wellbeing. It is ...

and

The Florida Mall The Florida Mall is a super regional enclosed shopping mall located south of Orlando in unincorporated Orange County, Florida, United States, on the southeast corner of Orange Blossom Trail and Sand Lake Road; it opened in 1986. The facility wa ...

. Links 11,42 and 111 provide service to and from

Orlando International Airport Orlando International Airport is a major public airport located 6 miles (10 km) southeast of Downtown Orlando, Florida. In 2021, it handled 19,618,838 passengers, making it the busiest airport in the state and seventh busiest airport i ...

, while Links 42 and 111 provide service to

SeaWorld Orlando SeaWorld Orlando is a theme park and marine zoological park, in Orlando, Florida. It is owned and operated by SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment. When combined with its neighbor Discovery Cove and Aquatica, it forms SeaWorld Parks and Resorts Orla ...

, with Link 42 via the

International Drive International Drive, commonly known as I-Drive, is a major thoroughfare in Orlando, Florida, United States, and is the city's main tourist strip. I-Drive is located several miles southwest of proper Downtown Orlando in the southernmost limits ...

tourism area and

Orange County Convention Center The Orange County Convention Center is a convention center located in Orlando, Florida. Opened in 1983 as the Orange County Convention and Civic Center, it is the primary public convention center for the Central Florida region and the second-lar ...

. SunRail operates Monday through Friday. The first daily departures are at 6:03am southbound and 6:10am northbound. Departures are scheduled every 30 minutes during morning and evening commute times. During mid-day, trains run 60 to 90 minutes apart. The final daily departures are at 9:13pm southbound and 10:20pm northbound.

References

External links

Sand Lake Road station
— SunRail {{SunRail , state=expanded Railway stations in the United States opened in 2014 Transportation buildings and structures in Orange County, Florida SunRail stations 2014 establishments in Florida