(The following story by Rachael Jackson appeared on the Orlando Sentinel website on May 18, 2009.)
SANFORD, Fla. — Officials broke ground on a new Auto Train station this morning, launching a more than $10.5 million project that they said would bring jobs and better serve the nearly 250,000 people that travel on the train annually.
The Amtrak train, which goes to Lorton, Va. with no stops, is the only one in the country that allows riders to bring their cars onboard with them. While the current station has a cramped waiting area and uses a tent for overflow, the new station, funded by federal dollars, will have seating for 600 people.
U.S. Rep. John Mica, R- Winter Park, promised to expand the Auto Train service to other parts of the country. Mica, Republican leader of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, noted his disappointment that they were not also breaking ground on stations that were planned for the 61-mile commuter rail system, which did not win state approval in the Legislature this year.