Lakeland (Amtrak station)

Lakeland
Amtrak inter-city rail station
Lakeland Amtrak station from across Lake Mirror Drive
Location	600 Lake Mirror Drive Lakeland, Florida 33801  United States
Coordinates	28°02′44″N 81°57′07″W / 28.04547°N 81.95193°W / 28.04547; -81.95193Coordinates: 28°02′44″N 81°57′07″W / 28.04547°N 81.95193°W / 28.04547; -81.95193
Owned by	City of Lakeland
Line(s)	Silver Star
Platforms	1 side platform
Tracks	1
Connections	Amtrak Thruway Motorcoach Citrus Connection
Construction
Structure type	At-grade
Parking	28 short term spaces
Disabled access	Yes
Other information
Station code	Both LAK and LKL
History
Opened	1998
Traffic
Passengers (2012)	25,630  3.8%
Services
Preceding station   Amtrak   Following station Tampa toward Miami or New York City Silver Star Kissimmee toward New York City Winter Haven toward Miami   Former services   Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Winston toward Tampa Union Station Main Line Auburndale toward Richmond Broad Street Station Kathleen toward High Springs High Springs – Lakeland Terminus
Location
Location of Lakeland Amtrak Station within Florida

Lakeland station is a train station in Lakeland, Florida, that is served by Amtrak, the national passenger rail system of the United States. It is served by the Silver Star train, which runs daily between New York City and Miami. The station is located on the northern shore of Lake Mirror.

Lakeland is unique among all Amtrak stations in that it has two separate Amtrak station codes; one for passengers traveling to and from points north and the other for passengers traveling to and from points south. Because of unique routing of the Silver Star, after arriving at the Lakeland Station, the train heads west to Tampa. However, upon leaving Tampa, the train returns over the same route back to the Lakeland Station. After making a second stop at the Lakeland Station, the train continues on a bit further east along its previous route and then finally turns north or south. This applies to both the northbound and southbound runs. Passengers disembarking at Lakeland Station do so before the train heads to Tampa and passengers boarding at Lakeland only do so after the train returns from Tampa. This logical arrangement allows passengers boarding or debarking at the Lakeland station to avoid having to make an unnecessary trip to Tampa before continuing on their way. (Excluding Tampa, the next southbound stop on the Silver Star is in Winter Haven and the next northbound station is in Kissimmee.)

The original Lakeland station's structure was opened by the South Florida Railroad in 1886 as a two-story wooden edifice that burned down in 1901. The replacement proved to be inadequate for contemporary railroad needs and was replaced in 1910 by the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad (ACL) with a one-story brick building. This too would be hit by a fire in February 1918 that caused $25,000 worth of damage. The building was given a second story and reopened on January 31, 1919.

The current station's structure was built in 1998 as a replacement for the 1960-built ACL station located about 1.1 miles (1.8 km) west of the current station. That station became a Seaboard Coast Line Railroad station when the ACL and the Seaboard Air Line Railroad merged July 1, 1967. Though the former station building was demolished in 2008, the passenger platforms and covers remain. In addition to the Silver Star the previous station was also served by the Champion until 1979.