Palatka station facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Palatka, FL
The depot shortly after its restoration in 2007.
Location	220 North 11 Street Palatka, Florida United States
Coordinates	29°39′00″N 81°38′26″W / 29.65000°N 81.64056°W / 29.65000; -81.64056
Owned by	City of Palatka
Line(s)	CSXT
Platforms	1 side platform
Tracks	1
Connections	The Ride Solution
Construction
Parking	15 long term and 5 short term parking spaces
Other information
Station code	Amtrak: PAK
History
Opened	May 1909
Traffic
Passengers (FY2021)	7,171 (Amtrak)
Services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station DeLand toward Miami Silver Meteor Jacksonville toward New York Silver Star      Auto Train does not stop here
Former services Lua error in Module:Adjacent_stations at line 236: Unknown line "Valdosta-Palatka".
Old A.C.L. Union Depot
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Location	Palatka, Florida
Built	1909
NRHP reference No.	88000162
Added to NRHP	1988
Location
Palatka, FL Location in Florida

The Palatka station is an old train station in Palatka, Florida. It was built a long time ago, in 1908. Today, trains from Amtrak's Silver Service line still stop here. The station is also home to two cool places: the Palatka Railroad Preservation Society and the David Browning Railroad Museum. You can find it at 220 North Eleventh Street, right where it meets US 17 and SR 100.

History of the Palatka Train Station

The Palatka station was built in 1908. It was made for the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad (ACL). The building has a special look called the Richardsonian Romanesque style. It was a "union depot," meaning different train companies used it. These included the ACL, the Florida Southern Railway, and the Georgia Southern and Florida Railway.

The station was a busy spot. It served trains going to places like Jacksonville, Tampa, and Sarasota. One famous train that stopped here was the ACL's West Coast Champion, which traveled all the way from New York City to Sarasota. In 1914, another train line, the short-lived Ocklawaha Valley Railroad, also started using the station. Because of its history, the station was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1988. This means it's an important historical building.

Amtrak Service at Palatka

In 1971, most passenger train services in the United States were taken over by a new company called Amtrak. At first, Amtrak did not stop in Palatka. But in 1976, Amtrak decided to try stopping there again for a short time. It worked out well, and in 1979, Palatka became a permanent stop. Today, the station is served by Amtrak's Silver Meteor and Silver Star trains.

Future Improvements for the Station

In November 2021, the US Department of Transportation gave a lot of money, $8.2 million, to improve the Palatka station. This money is part of a bigger plan to create the A. Philip Randolph Regional Multimodal Transportation Hub.

These improvements will make the station better for everyone. The train platform will be made longer and higher. This will make it easier for people to get on and off trains. It will also help people with bicycles load and unload them. Other changes include fixing the roads around the station and adding new sidewalks that are easy for everyone to use. They will also add special lanes for bikes and make other safety improvements. It's also likely that a station agent will be hired again. This person will help passengers, especially with a new service for checking luggage.

David Browning Railroad Museum

The Palatka station is not just for trains! It's also home to the David Browning Railroad Museum. The Palatka Railroad Preservation Society runs this museum. Inside, you can see a cool model train setup. The museum also has old documents, photos, maps, signs, and other items from railroad history. It's a great place to learn about trains and how they used to work.