Orlando, FL (ORL)

Ticket Revenue

FY 2011

$14,805,537

Station Ridership

FY 2011

179,142

Note: Fiscal year is from
October through September.

The Mission Revival style Orlando station was built for the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad in 1926 at a cost of $500,000, and later used by the Seaboard Coast Line after its merger in 1967. One of the areas best examples of this style, the stucco-faced station includes two towers that flank the entrance and a long arched arcade. The sign that announces the city’s name, Orlando, is one of its finest features, having been hand-designed by the station’s architect, A. M. Griffith. The station was last renovated in 1990, and now suffers somewhat from neglect, with peeling paint and stucco as well as other weather damage and woodwork decay.

The current Orlando station may become a station stop on the Central Florida Commuter Rail system, when that plan is implemented sometime in 2013. It will run 61 miles along the CSX A line from Pinciana Boulevard near Kissimmee through downtown Orlando and to DeLand. This commuter rail system will be financed by the counties, state, and federal government.

Orlando, Florida’s largest inland city and seat of Orange County, was originally a settlement of cattlemen known as Jernigan, named after its first homesteader along Lake Holden. Most pioneers did not arrive until after the Third Seminole War in the 1850s. The name, “Orlando” is said to have originated from a tree carved to commemorate a soldier in the Third Seminole war, and the area was called “Orlando’s Grave” and then just “Orlando.”

Though the town suffered under the Union blockade, it prospered during Reconstruction, when it became the hub of Florida’s citrus industry. However, the Great Freeze of 1894 and 1895 forced many independent growers to give up their holdings, which were consolidated in the hands of a few “citrus barons” who shifted operations south into Polk County. During the Spanish-American war, Orlando became a popular resort destination. In the 1920s, the city grew extensively during the Florida land boom, which died off during the Depression of the 1930s. During the 1940s the establishment of Army Air bases brought the military to the area, including many training facilities for the Navy and Marine Corps.

Most critical for the area’s economy was the announcement in 1965 of plans to build Walt Disney World. The renowned vacation resort opened in 1971, ushering in a period of explosive business and population growth for the Orlando area. Tourism is now the centerpiece of the Orlando economy, as the region sees some 52 million visitors a year, and is host to the second largest number of hotel rooms outside of Las Vegas. Downtown Orlando, though several miles away from the main attractions, is undergoing a major redevelopment with a number of residential projects, commercial towers, and major public works.

Amtrak provides both ticketing and baggage services at this facility.

Orlando is served by four daily trains.