Fort Lauderdale, FL (FTL)

200 Southwest 21st Terrace
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33312

Station Ownership

Facility:
Florida Department of Transportation

Parking:
Florida Department of Transportation

Platform(s):
Florida Department of Transportation

Track(s):
Florida Department of Transportation

Amtrak Contact

Todd Stennis

Routes Served:

• Silver Meteor
• Silver Star

History

The Amtrak station in Fort Lauderdale is a former Seaboard Air Line station in the Mission Revival style common in south Florida. The station first opened in 1926; in the 1980s it was restored and the South Florida Regional Transportation Authority improved it in 1986. A park and ride lot is available, as are Tri-Rail commuter trains and Broward County connecting transit routes. It is located on the edge of Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.

While Native Americans had lived in the New River area for thousands of years, the European settlements did not truly take hold until the late 19th century with improved transportation. The original Fort Lauderdale was built in 1838 and abandoned in 1842, after the Second Seminole War. A few hardy settler families continued on but population of the area did not grow until Henry Flagler’s Florida East Coast Railway came through on its way to Miami in 1896. The city was incorporated in 1911 and in 1915 it was designated the county seat of the newly-formed Broward County.

The Florida land speculation boom of the early 1920s brought Fort Lauderdale’s first major growth spurt, halted by the Miami hurricane of 1926 and the Great Depression. When World War II began, Fort Lauderdale hosted a major U.S. naval base with a naval air station to train pilots, along with radar and fire control operator training schools and a Coast Guard base at Port Everglades. After the war, returning veterans created a population explosion in the area that dwarfed the 1920s land boom.

On December 5th, 1945, the five planes of Flight 19 departed the Fort Lauderdale Naval Air Station and were never seen again. This and the coincidental explosion of Training 49, which was involved in the search for the missing squadron, have contributed significantly to the Bermuda Triangle myth.

Today, Fort Lauderdale is a major tourist destination as well as one of the primary yachting center from which cruises depart. Since the 1950s, the city has been a destination for college students on spring break, as popularized in the 1960 film, Where the Boys Are. However, since 1985, the city has cracked down on such rowdiness and discourage this annual pilgrimage—which has been a boon for the city’s tourism trade, as the city has sought to connect its arts and entertainment district, historic downtown area, and shopping and beach districts.

Amtrak provides both ticketing and baggage services at this facility.

Fort Lauderdale is served by four daily trains.

ADA Compliance

Federal law requires compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) by 2010. The following is a list of items typically required for transportation and public facilities under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Please check the regulations for guidance or contact us for more information.