Lorton, VA
The waiting area at Lorton
General information
Location8006 Lorton Road
Lorton, Virginia
United States
Coordinates38°42′30″N 77°13′15″W / 38.7084°N 77.2207°W / 38.7084; -77.2207
Owned byAmtrak
Platforms1 side platform
Construction
ParkingShort-term only
AccessibleYes
Other information
Station codeAmtrak: LOR
History
Opened1971
Closed1981–1983
Rebuilt2000
Passengers
FY 2022269,381[1] (Amtrak)
Services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station
Florence
(Service stop only)
toward Sanford
 Auto Train Terminus
Former services
Preceding station auto-train
 Following station
Sanford
Terminus
 Sanford–Lorton Terminus

Lorton station is a railroad terminal in Lorton, Virginia. It is the northern terminal for Amtrak's Auto Train, which operates between this station and Sanford station in Florida. When Auto-Train was originally established in Lorton in 1971, the station house was still under construction. Until it was completed sometime between 1972 and 1975, it consisted of tents and pre-fabricated houses and trailers, and the parking lot was still paved only with gravel. When it was completed, it included a former caboose and boxcar previously owned by the Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad that was converted into a gift shop. As with the rest of Auto Train, the station closed in 1981 and was reopened in 1983 when Amtrak acquired the service.

The current station, which opened in 2000 as a replacement for the original Lorton Auto-Train station,[2] features a large, modern waiting area designed in a modern Art Deco style, with high glass walls, a small gift shop, a snack bar, and a children's playground. There is one long low-level platform (which is 1,480 feet (451 m) long) designed for Auto Train boarding and 6 vehicle ramps for boarding vehicles onto the 20+ autoracks that are on the Auto Train.[3][4][5] This station is one mile south of the Virginia Railway Express Lorton station. No other Amtrak trains stop at either station.

References

  1. ↑ "Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year 2022: Commonwealth of Virginia" (PDF). Amtrak. June 2023. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
  2. ↑ Photography from the collection of Harv Kahn (1971–1981 Auto-Train railfan site)
  3. ↑ Weinstein, Donald; Warner, David & Sutton, Harry (2008). "Auto Train Travel Tips". On Track On Line. Retrieved 2008-02-27.
  4. ↑ "Lorton Auto Train Terminal". Travelblog. 2007. Retrieved 2008-02-27.
  5. ↑ "Lorton, VA (LOR)". Amtrak. 2008. Retrieved 2008-02-27.

Media related to Lorton station at Wikimedia Commons

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