Sanford – The Florida Department of Transportation on Thursday announced that railroad maintenance crews will perform maintenance activities—involving rail refinishing—on the Central Florida Rail Corridor. These activities begin Friday, December 11, 2015 and will take place during the overnight hours roughly between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m.
The work involves use of a machine that “grinds” or refinishes the railroad tracks on which SunRail, freight trains and Amtrak currently operate in Central Florida. This type of maintenance is performed every two to three years on the railroad. The machine used for this type of activity may result in noise along the corridor, dust, and sparks as the tracks are refinished. All necessary safety precautions have been taken to ensure that any potential disruption to neighboring communities along the corridor is kept to a minimum. The department apologizes in advance for the inconvenience as this necessary maintenance work takes place.
The work is expected to begin at about 11 p.m. on Friday, December 11, on the southern part of the Central Florida Rail Corridor, near Poinciana. During the overnight hours on Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, maintenance crews will make their way north along the tracks to Kaley Street in Orlando. The following Friday, December 18, crews will resume grinding operations at McCracken Road in Sanford and head north to the DeLand Amtrak station. The remainder of the corridor will be maintained following the New Year. All grinding work along the 61.5-mile Central Florida Rail Corridor is expected to be complete by January 13, 2016.
As a reminder, never walk on the tracks, and stay at least 25 feet from the railroad bed. Railroad tracks are not photo studios, nor are they playgrounds or parking lots. Railroad tracks are private property, and trespassers can face stiff fines. The Florida Department of Transportation urges you to be smart and be safe around railroad tracks.
Questions? Please contact Steve Olson at steve.olson@dot.state.fl.us or 386-943-5479.