Rezoovenation boost: CSX donates $1 million to Jacksonville Zoo for new train station

Beth Reese Cravey, Jacksonville Florida Times-Union
·2 min read

CSX Corp. donated $1 million to the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens to build a new train station by fall 2025 as part of the company's upcoming 200th anniversary celebration.

The open-air zoo train carries visitors around the entire grounds with several stops along the way. The new station, to be called the CSX Bicentennial Train Station, will be constructed at the entrance of the zoo. Design details were not released.

"Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens brings so much life and culture to our local community. We are looking forward to helping them create a lasting legacy in our hometown," said Joe Hinrichs, president and CEO of CSX. "As we begin to plan celebrations for our own 200th anniversary in 2027, this donation represents our ongoing commitment to fostering a vibrant, sustainable and environmentally conscious community."

The new station, he said, "will not only enhance the visitor experience but also create a lasting connection between our company and the wonderful residents of Jacksonville."

The Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens train shows visitors around the entire grounds with several stops along the way. CSX Corp. is donating $1 million toward a new train station there.
The Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens train shows visitors around the entire grounds with several stops along the way. CSX Corp. is donating $1 million toward a new train station there.

CSX also recently donated $10 million to the planned UF graduate campus in downtown Jacksonville, the largest private donor so far to the $200 million project.

The zoo donation is one of the bicentennial-related gifts CSX is making in the communities it serves. Another is a $5 million gift to the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Museum in Maryland toward the museum’s $30 million capital campaign, according to the company.

The new station at the Jacksonville Zoo is part of an ongoing $70 million improvement plan called Rezoovenation that also includes a new and expanded entryway, manatee exhibit, parking lot redesign, new education campus, expanded lion habitat, elephant habitat redesign and introduction of orangutans. The plan was announced in 2021 with a $50 million cost, but increasing prices forced a change.

The new entryway into the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens will lead visitors directly into the heart of the zoo as part of a $50 million Rezoovenation campaign.
The new entryway into the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens will lead visitors directly into the heart of the zoo as part of a $50 million Rezoovenation campaign.

"We are delighted to receive this extraordinary donation from CSX," said Nikki Smith, the zoo's chief philanthropy and community engagement officer. "The CSX Bicentennial Train Station will serve as a symbol of our shared commitment to the community and a cornerstone of our Rezoovenation campaign, aimed at significantly enhancing our facilities and visitor experience."

The improvements "will make the zoo more accessible to families and visitors from across the region, enriching the experience and allowing us to share our mission of wildlife conservation and education with an even broader audience," she said.

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The zoo train takes visitors around the whole zoo, with stops near Trout River Plaza and at Main Camp where they may get off and and explore. The train runs daily, weather permitting, according to the zoo website.

bcravey@jacksonville.com, (904) 359-4109

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: CSX donates $1 million to Rezoovenation campaign at Jacksonville Zoo