West Palm Beach station
West Palm Beach station is a train station in West Palm Beach, Florida. It is served by Amtrak passenger rail and Tri-Rail commuter rail service. It is located at 203–209 South Tamarind Avenue, south of First Street/Banyan Boulevard.
West Palm Beach, FL | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Amtrak station SFRTA Tri-Rail commuter rail station | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
West Palm Beach station | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Location | 201 South Tamarind Avenue West Palm Beach, Florida | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Owned by | City of West Palm Beach | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Line(s) | South Florida Rail Corridor | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Platforms | 2 side platforms | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Tracks | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Connections | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Construction | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Parking | Yes | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Bicycle facilities | Yes | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Disabled access | Yes | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Other information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Station code | WPB | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Fare zone | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
History | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Opened | 1925 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rebuilt | 1991 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Traffic | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Passengers (2014) | 62,990 (Amtrak)[1][2] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Services | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Seaboard Coastline Railroad Passenger Station | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Location | West Palm Beach, Florida | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Coordinates | 26°42′44.32″N 80°03′44.27″W | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Built | 1925[3] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Architect | L. Philips Clarke, Harvey and Clarke | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Architectural style | Mission/Spanish Revival[4] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
NRHP reference No. | 73000600[4] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Added to NRHP | June 19, 1973 |
History
The station officially opened to passengers in January 1925 as a Seaboard Air Line Railway depot. The building was designed by the Palm Beach architectural firm of Harvey & Clarke.[5] Among other Seaboard trains, the station was served by the Orange Blossom Special until 1953, and the Silver Meteor beginning in 1939. Amtrak maintained Silver Meteor service to the station when it took over intercity passenger train service in 1971. Both the Silver Meteor and Amtrak's Silver Star continue to use the station. The station was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on June 19, 1973. Tri-Rail service to the station began in 1989.
The City of West Palm Beach, following a purchase of the building in 1988, tapped local architecture firm Oliver Glidden & Partners[6] to head a $4.3 million restoration of the structure. The project was completed and the station rededicated in a ceremony attended by the Florida Governor in April 1991. Architect Robert D. Brown directed the restoration of ornamental cast stone elements, exterior masonry, doors, windows, and iron and tile work. The red clay tile roof was replaced, as were the electrical, lighting, plumbing and heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems.[7] Abatement of lead and asbestos was further required to bring the historic structure up to modern building code standards. The restoration effort earned the Florida Trust Award for Historic Preservation in 1994.
In summer 2012, the city finished an improvement project that included the installation of new sidewalks and more than five dozen trees around the building. The improvements were funded with a $750,000 Transportation Enhancement grant from the Federal Highway Administration, to which the city provided a $150,000 local match.[7]
Since the 1997 closure of the Palm Beach Airport station closer to Palm Beach International Airport, Tri-Rail passengers access the airport via taxi and PalmTran's fixed bus route 44.
Station layout
The station has two side platforms, with access to the station on both sides. West of the southbound platform is a long loop of bus bays serving Palm Tran routes. East of the northbound platform is the station house, a small parking lot, and bus stops for Greyhound Lines buses and Tri-Rail shuttles.
M | Mezzanine | Crossover between platforms |
P Platform level | ||
Side platform | ||
Track 1 | ← Tri-Rail toward Miami Airport (Lake Worth) ← Silver Service toward Miami (Delray Beach) | |
Track 2 | Tri-Rail toward Mangonia Park (Terminus) → Silver Service toward New York (Okeechobee or Sebring) → | |
Side platform | ||
Street level | Entrance/exit, station house, buses, parking |
Gallery
- Façade of station, circa 1920s
- Façade of station in 2011
- The Pizza Grill
- Amtrak loading at the station
- Old Seaboard Railway sign
- View of the station house
- View of the station house
- View of the station house
Notes
- "Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year 2014 - State of Florida" (PDF). Amtrak. November 2014. Retrieved 14 April 2015.
- "Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year 2013 - State of Florida" (PDF). Amtrak. November 2013. Retrieved 14 April 2015.
- "Florida Historical Markers Programs - Marker: Palm Beach". Florida's Office of Cultural and Historical Programs. Retrieved 14 April 2015.
- "National Register of Historical Places - Florida (FL), Palm Beach County". National Park Service. 2007-03-30. Archived from the original on 14 February 2014. Retrieved 14 April 2015.
- Picciochi, Sandie (9 November 1988). "Roaring '20s Bash Will Raise Funds For Historic Rail Station". Sun Sentinel. Fort Lauderdale. p. 15.
- http://www.keystonerestoration.com/Page%2015.htm
- "West Palm Beach, FL (WPB)". Great American Stations. Retrieved 14 April 2015.