(Washington, DC) - Congresswoman Corrine Brown announced that the city of Sanford's Amtrak Station will receive $10.5 million in the economic stimulus package to replace the facility with a new train station.  This should also provide approximately 400 jobs for Central Floridians. 

"This is a great day for the city of Sanford and a great day for Amtrak!" said an extremely upbeat Congresswoman Brown.  The Congresswoman continued:  "I am very pleased to be able to announce this funding to rebuild the Amtrak Station in Sanford.  As the Chairwoman of the Transportation Committee's subcommittee on Railroads in the House of Representatives, I know how vital rail travel is, and I have fought consistently over the years to increase funding and refocus our nation's attention towards our rail system."

With this funding, a new station on Florida State Road 46 will be constructed.   Sanford Amtrak, which is a railroad terminal in Sanford, Florida, is the southern terminal for Amtrak's Auto Train which runs between this station and Lorton, VA.  The construction of a new terminal will help to accommodate larger numbers of passengers in Central Florida.

"Amtrak ridership and revenue have never been stronger," the Congresswoman continued.  "In 2008, Amtrak set a new record for ridership, exceeding 26 million passengers.  Moreover, ticket revenues increased by 11% to more than $1.5 billion, and these figures continued to grow steadily throughout all of last year.  In Florida, Amtrak expenditures for goods and services in the state soared to nearly $9 million last year, while Amtrak currently employs over 700 Florida residents.  This funding will not only benefit the traveling public, but will also be a boost to Central Florida's local economy," said Congresswoman Brown.

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