By Ken Storey
The region is putting the final touches on SunRail before
its launch in the spring of ’14. The
trains themselves will reportedly be delivered and begin doing test runs along
the tracks by mid-July of this year. The
stations themselves are coming along with most getting their roofs over the
past month or so.
While the original Church Street station is well over a 100 years old
the new SunRail platform will go directly in front of it. The new platform will feature a sleek, modern roof design juxtaposes against the historic station creating a unique style that
will quickly become one of the iconic images for the new commuter train system.
Sadly the train, "Old Duke," that was located along these tracks for years was not able to stay in Orlando but instead was moved to the Gulf Coast Railway Museum in Parrish, Florida. Wouldn't that train have made an awesome dining experience under I-4 or in front of the Amway Center. But at least we still have this beautiful old station, now once again becoming part of a true train station.
Here are some recent photos of the new platform going in at Church Street:
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| The new station going in directly in front of the old one. |
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| The old station is one of the iconic structures of downtown Orlando, it is currently being leased as retail and office space. |
