All Aboard Florida kicks off construction on West Palm Beach station

All Aboard Florida (AAF) and local officials this week marked the start of construction on a new rail station in downtown West Palm Beach, Fla., the second of three south Florida stations that will be built along AAF's proposed Miami-to-Orlando corridor.

The West Palm Beach station will be built on two acres next to the Florida East Coast Railway corridor on Quadrille Boulevard, between Datura and Evernia streets, AAF officials said in a press release.

The 60,000-square-foot station and platform will be located near the CityPlace mixed-use development, shops and restaurants, and several arts institutions, such as the Raymond F. Kravis Center for the Performing Arts.

"All Aboard Florida will be transformative for West Palm Beach, Palm Beach County and the state of Florida, marking a new and exciting beginning for rail travel and the regions it will serve," said Michael Reininger, AAF's president and chief development officer.

AAF is developing a passenger-rail service that will stretch from downtown Miami to the Orlando airport, with stops in downtown Fort Lauderdale and downtown West Palm Beach. It will operate on 195 miles of existing Florida rail lines along the coast and 40 miles of new track to be built inland to Orlando.