Palatka, FL | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Palatka station in 2007 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| General information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Location | 220 North 11 Street Palatka, Florida United States | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 29°39′00″N81°38′26″W / 29.65000°N 81.64056°W /29.65000; -81.64056 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Owned by | City of Palatka | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lines | CSXSanford Subdivision | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Platforms | 1side platform | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tracks | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Connections |  The Ride Solution | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Construction | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Parking | 15 long term and 5 short term parking spaces | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Accessible | Yes | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Other information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Station code | Amtrak:PAK | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| History | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Opened | May 1909 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Passengers | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| FY2021 | 7,171[1] (Amtrak) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Services | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Old A.C.L. Union Depot | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Location | Palatka,Florida | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Built | 1909 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| NRHP reference No. | 88000162[2] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Added to NRHP | 1988 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Palatka station is anAmtrak train station inPalatka, Florida. It is served by the dailyFloridian andSilver Meteor trains. The 1908-built station houses thePalatka Railroad Preservation Society and theDavid Browning Railroad Museum. It was added to theNational Register of Historic Places in 1988 asOld A.C.L. Union Depot.
The station was built in 1908 for theAtlantic Coast Line Railroad (ACL) and was constructed in theRichardsonian Romanesque style. It served as a union depot for the ACL'sJacksonville-Tampa-Sarasota mainline as well as for theFlorida Southern Railway and theGeorgia Southern and Florida Railway. In addition to local service to Sarasota, the station served the ACL'sWest Coast Champion (New York City – Sarasota).[3][4] Until 1936, the station also served passenger trains operated by theFlorida East Coast Railway, whose trains crossed the St. Johns river over a railway bridge in Palatka.[5] This railway bridge was removed in the 1950s. In 1914 the station began to serve the short-livedOcklawaha Valley Railroad. In 1988, it was added to theNational Register of Historic Places.[2]
In 1971, most passenger service in the United States was transferred to Amtrak, however Palatka had its stop discontinued.[6] In 1976, Amtrak decided to reinstate the stop at Palatka, under a trial period. They would later add Palatka as a permanent stop in 1979.[7]
In November 2021, theUS Department of Transportation awarded $1.5 billion in RAISE discretionary grants for infrastructure projects around the nation.[8] One such grant awarded $8.2 million to fund the development of the A. Philip Randolph Regional Multimodal Transportation Hub.[9] Under this redevelopment, the station's platform will be lengthened to accommodate a baggage area and raised to meet accessible requirements, and allow bicycles to be loaded and unloaded at the station. Other improvements around the station include resurfacing the roadway, installing new accessible-compliant sidewalks and curb and gutter designating bike lanes, and adding other accessory safety improvements in the project area.[10]
On November 10, 2024, theSilver Star was merged with theCapitol Limited as theFloridian.[11]
The station is home to the David Browning Railroad Museum, operated by the Palatka Railroad Preservation Society. The museum features a model train layout, historic documents, photographs, maps, signs and railroad artifacts.[12]
Media related toPalatka (Amtrak station) at Wikimedia Commons
