Clearwater Subdivision
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Legend
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The Clearwater Subdivision is a railroad line owned by CSX Transportation in the U.S. State of Florida. The line runs from Gary, Florida to St. Petersburg, Florida for a total of 48.6 miles. At its north end it continues south from the Tampa Terminal Subdivision and at its south end the track comes to an end.[1][2]
The Clearwater Subdivision begins just east of downtown Tampa in Gary and heads north through some of Tampa's suburban neighborhoods. In Sulphur Springs, the Clearwater Subdivision turns and runs west though Oldsmar, where it crosses Tampa Bay. It shifts south briefly running through Safety Harbor, and then heads west again to Clearwater. In Clearwater, it turns southeast, running through Largo and Pinellas Park before terminating in St. Petersburg near Tropicana Field.
History
From Tampa north to Sulphur Springs, the Clearwater Subdivision runs along the former Tampa Northern Railroad, which was built in 1908. From Sulphur Springs west to Clearwater, it runs along the former Tampa and Gulf Coast Railroad, which was built in 1914. Both the Tampa Northern Railroad and the Tampa and Gulf Coast Railroad were absorbed by the Seaboard Air Line Railroad in 1913 and 1915 respectively. From Clearwater to St. Petersburg, the line runs along the southern end of the historic Orange Belt Railway, which was built in 1888. It later became part of the Plant System and the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad. Both the Atlantic Coast Line and the Seaboard Air Line networks merged in 1967 to form the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad before becoming part of CSX in 1980.[3]
In 2015, CSX proposed to sell both the Clearwater and Brooksville subdivisions to the Florida Department of Transportation for potential use as commuter rail. FDOT is currently studying this possibility. Similar transactions between FDOT and CSX have taken place in the Miami and Orlando areas for tracks that today run the Tri-Rail and SunRail commuter lines respectively.[4]
See also
References
- ↑ http://wiki.radioreference.com/index.php/ZZ-Clearwater_Sub CSX Clearwater Sub
- ↑ "Jacksonville Division Timetable No. 4" (PDF). CSX. January 1, 2005. p. 47.
- ↑ Luisi, Vincent (2010). Railroading in Pinellas County. Arcadia Publishing.
- ↑ Johnston, Caitlin. "CSX's offer finally opens the door to commuter rail in Tampa Bay". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved 24 October 2016.