SANFORD, Fla. — Amtrak is beginning to put into place the last piece of a multi-year plan to bring increased convenience, improved service and more station amenities to passengers who ride our popular Auto Train.The new, larger and up-to-date passenger station being built in Sanford, Fla., fulfills our vision for the Auto Train which added new passenger equipment in the 1990s, new car carriers in July 2005 and built a new station and mechanical facility at the northern end of the route near Washington, D.C., in 2000. It’s a plan that is working. During fiscal year 2008, ridership on the Auto Train increased 7.8 percent over the previous year.
As Americans have sought alternatives to crowded highways, Amtrak is — and has been — providing another way. The success of the Auto Train shows in a very direct manner that Amtrak is part of the travel solution and is taking cars off the road every day of the year.
As Amtrak actively moves forward with plans for a greener, safer and healthier future, we will be looking for other places around the country where an Auto Train service can be started.
