Kissimmee station is a train station in Kissimmee, Florida. It is served by Amtrak, the national railroad passenger system of the United States, and SunRail, the commuter rail system serving Greater Orlando. The station opened in 1883, and has served several different railroads. It is the closest Amtrak station to Walt Disney World.

Kissimmee, FL
The rebuilt Kissimmee station in 2021
General information
Location111 East Dakin Avenue
Kissimmee, Florida
United States
Coordinates28°17′38″N 81°24′15″W / 28.293838°N 81.404271°W / 28.293838; -81.404271
Owned byCSX Transportation
Platforms2 side platforms
Tracks2
Train operatorsAmtrak, SunRail
ConnectionsBus transport Lynx: 10, 18, 26, 55, 56, 57, 108, FastLink 407, FastLink 441[1]
Construction
ParkingYes; Parking structure available for day use and for long-term parking by Amtrak passengers
Other information
Station codeAmtrak: KIS
Fare zoneOsceola
History
Opened1883 (SFR)
Rebuilt1910 (ACL), December 11, 1975,[2] 2018
Passengers
FY 202226,862[3] (Amtrak)
Services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station
Winter Haven
toward Miami
Silver Meteor Orlando
toward New York
Lakeland
toward Miami
Silver Star
Preceding station SunRail Following station
Poinciana
Terminus
SunRail Tupperware
towards DeBary
Former services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station
Orlando Sunset Limited
1993-1996
Winter Haven
toward Miami
Lakeland Floridian
Orlando
toward Chicago
Preceding station Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Following station
Campbell
toward Tampa
Main Line Meadow Woods
toward Richmond
Vineland
toward Apopka
Florida Midland Branch Terminus
Terminus Kissimmee – St. Cloud Peghorn
toward St. Cloud

History edit

 
A sign welcomes passengers to Kissimmee Amtrak station in 2009

Kissimmee station was originally built as a South Florida Railroad Depot 1883, and was also a junction for the St. Cloud and Sugar Belt Railway and the original Florida Midland Railroad, all three of which were eventually acquired by the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad. It was replaced by an Atlantic Coast Line Depot in 1910,[4] which is the building that remains to this day. The station was restored in 1976, but suffered some damage to the canopy during the 2004 Atlantic hurricane season that was repaired within two years.[5] Sometime prior to 1990, it also contained a separate Railway Express Agency building, that was previously the site of the original South Florida Railroad depot.

Kissimmee station is located on E. Dakin Avenue southeast of Pleasant Street. The sheltered low-level Amtrak platform crosses Dakin Avenue and runs as far west as Monument Avenue. An unsheltered asphalt platform continues southwest of Monument Avenue for boarding especially long trains.

SunRail service edit

The Kissimmee Amtrak is part of Phase 2 expansion of the SunRail commuter rail system, opened on July 30, 2018.[6] To accommodate this new service, the station underwent numerous upgrades, including the addition of a 381 space park and ride garage, a bus drop off area, and the addition of a second track and two raised side platforms northeast of the existing ground level platform. These additions are also integrated into the city of Kissimmee's long-range plans for an intermodal center.[7]

Connections edit

References edit

  1. ^ "SunRail Connections" (PDF). Lynx. April 24, 2022. Retrieved May 19, 2022.
  2. ^ "Amtrak Makes Initial Stop in Kissimmee". The Orlando Sentinel. December 12, 1975. p. 12. Retrieved November 16, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.  
  3. ^ "Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year 2022: State of Florida" (PDF). Amtrak. June 2023. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
  4. ^ Mulligan, Michael (2008). Railroad Depots of Central Florida. Arcadia Publishing. p. 31. ISBN 9780738553900.
  5. ^ "Kissimmee, FL (KIS)". Great American Stations. Retrieved March 12, 2013.
  6. ^ Spear, Kevin (July 30, 2018). "First SunRail trains from Osceola County please commuters". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved July 30, 2018.
  7. ^ "Kissimmee Amtrak Station Proposal". SunRail. Archived from the original on February 28, 2009.
  8. ^ "KISSIMMEE INTERMODAL STATION" (PDF). LYNX. April 2019. Retrieved May 3, 2019.

External links edit

  Media related to Kissimmee (Amtrak station) at Wikimedia Commons