Back Issues

 

Main Page

Amtrak's Long-Distance Train Performance

January 2022

Forty-four percent of Amtrak's named long-distance trains arrived at their scheduled final destination on time or earlier in January 2022.

The average arrival of all long-distance trains in the survey period was 58 minutes late.

The average arrival of just those trains that were behind schedule was one hour and 44 minutes late.

A train is considered late whenever it arrives at its final destination behind schedule, even if only by a minute. Sufficient padding is incorporated into long-distance train schedules to eliminate the need for grace allowances in showing a train arriving on time when it is actually late. (Amtrak routinely reports trains as arriving on time even if they are nominally late.) The Bull Sheet conveys realistic parameters reflecting actual performance... (on time, or it is late).

Trains arriving ahead of schedule are simply shown 'on time,' with no extra credit given to offset other arrivals that are late. Trains that are canceled, truncated, terminated en route, or provided with ambiguous or unreliable data are excluded from the survey.

This survey was compiled by the Bull Sheet's statistical department comprehending actual performance as reported for each affected train on Amtrak's website. Data only apply to arrival at final destination; average arrival at intermediate stations will generally differ.

Average daily long-distance train performance in January 2022 was as follows:

 Date

 Pct on-time arrival

 Overall avg arrival

 Avg arrival if late

 Saturday, January 1

52 %

 1 hour, 27 mins late

3 hours, 1 min late

 Sunday, January 2

52 %

 31 mins late

 1 hour, 4 mins late

 Monday, January 3

24 %

2 hours, 57 mins late

 3 hours 54 mins late

 Tuesday, January 4

33 %

1 hour, 5 mins late

 1 hour, 37 mins late

 Wednesday, January 5

29 %

 3 hours late

 4 hours, 11 mins late

 Thursday, January 6

16 %

 1 hour, 38 mins late

 1 hour, 56 mins late

 Friday, January 7

32 %

 2 hours, 5 mins late

3 hours, 5 mins late

 Saturday, January 8

45 %

 1 hour, 10 mins late

2 hours, 6 mins late

 Sunday, January 9

33 %

 1 hour, 24 mins late

 2 hours, 6 mins late

 Monday, January 10

59 %

35 mins late

 1 hour, 26 mins late

 Tuesday, January 11

59 %

29 mins late

 1 hour, 26 mins late

 Wednesday, January 12

36 %

 39 mins late

 1 hour, 1 min late

 Thursday, January 13

59 %

 16 mins late

 39 mins late

 Friday, January 14

50 %

 43 mins late

1 hour, 25 mins late

 Saturday, January 15

52 %

 25 mins late

52 mins late

 Sunday, January 16

37 %

 22 mins late

35 mins late

 Monday, January 17

46 %

38 mins late

 1 hour, 10 mins late

 Tuesday, January 18

62 %

21 mins late

 55 mins late

 Wednesday, January 19

45 %

 47 mins late

 1 hour, 26 mins late

 Thursday, January 20

38 %

 45 mins late

 1 hour, 12 mins late

 Friday, January 21

44 %

 34 mins late

1 hour late

 Saturday, January 22

48 %

 1 hour, 26 mins late

2 hours, 46 mins late

 Sunday, January 23

44 %

 41 mins late

1 hour, 14 mins late

 Monday, January 24

55 %

30 mins late

 1 hour, 6 mins late

 Tuesday, January 25

62 %

24 mins late

 1 hour, 4 mins late

 Wednesday, January 26

22 %

 49 mins late

 1 hour, 3 mins late

 Thursday, January 27

39 %

 42 mins late

 1 hour, 9 mins late

 Friday, January 28

32 %

 1 hour, 25 mins late

2 hours, 6 mins late

 Saturday, January 29

40 %

 1 hour, 1 min late

1 hour, 42 mins late

 Sunday, January 30

41 %

 49 mins late

1 hour, 23 mins late

 Monday, January 31

48 %

 14 mins late

 27 mins late

 Composite for Month

44 %

 58 mins late

 1 hour, 44 mins late

 

Seven-year comparison for January . . .

 7-year comparison

 Pct on-time arrival

 Overall avg arrival

 Avg arrival if late

 January 2016

 35 %

 54 mins late

 1 hour, 23 mins late

 January 2017

 35 %

 1 hour late

 1 hour, 32 mins late

 January 2018

 37 %

 59 mins late

 1 hour, 33 mins late

 January 2019

 43 %

 39 mins late

 1 hour, 9 mins late

 January 2020

 64 %

 25 mins late

 1 hour, 10 mins late

 January 2021

 59 %

 28 mins late

 1 hour, 9 mins late

 January 2022

 44 %

 58 mins late

 1 hour, 44 mins late

 

January 2022 Train-by-Train Performance . . .

 Train

 Pct on-time arrival

 Overall avg arrival

 Avg arrival if late

 Auto Train

 36 %

 1 hour, 9 mins late

 2 hours, 12 mins late

 California Zephyr

 18 %

 2 hours, 16 mins late

 2 hours, 46 mins late

 Capitol Limited

 24 %

 39 mins late

 51 mins late

 Cardinal

 19 %

 1 hour, 37 mins late

 2 hours late

 Carolinian

 56 %

 20 mins late

 45 mins late

 City of New Orleans

 67 %

 21 mins late

 1 hour, 3 mins late

 Coast Starlight

 54 %

 1 hour, 6 mins late

 2 hours, 24 mins late

 Crescent

 13 %

 2 hours, 59 mins late

 3 hours, 25 min late

 Empire Builder

 39 %

2 hours, 12 mins late

 3 hours, 38 mins late

 Lake Shore Limited

 44 %

 23 mins late

 42 mins late

 Maple Leaf

 [no data]

 .

 .

 Palmetto

 57 %

 14 mins late

 33 mins late

 Silver Meteor

 59 %

 58 mins late

 2 hours, 21 mins late

 Silver Star

 30 %

 1 hour, 16 mins late

 1 hour, 48 mins late

 Southwest Chief

 46 %

 50 mins late

 1 hour, 33 mins late

 Sunset Limited

 42 %

 1 hour, 14 mins late

 2 hours, 8 mins late

 Texas Eagle

 72 %

 16 mins late

 57 mins late

 Vermonter

 45 %

 16 mins late

 28 mins late

 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

 

Last Year . . . .

2021 Full-Year Standings - Percentage On-Time Arrival

 Train

 Pct on-time arrival

 City of New Orleans

 85 %

 Texas Eagle

 54 %

 Empire Builder

 53 %

 Carolinian

 53 %

 Coast Starlight

 47 %

 Silver Meteor

 44 %

 Auto Train

 43 %

 Cardinal

 36 %

 Vermonter

 35 %

 Silver Star

 34 %

 California Zephyr

 33 %

 Crescent

 32 %

 Lake Shore Limited

 31 %

 Palmetto

 30 %

 Southwest Chief

 29 %

 Sunset Limited

 19 %

 Capitol Limited

 13 %

2021 Full-Year Standings - Overall Average Arrival

 Train

 Overall avg arrival

 City of New Orleans

 13 mins late

 Vermonter

 15 mins late

 Carolinian

 19 mins late

 Palmetto

 36 mins late

 Lake Shore Limited

 38 mins late

 Silver Meteor

 40 mins late

 Texas Eagle

 40 mins late

 Cardinal

 44 mins late

 Empire Builder

 46 mins late

 Coast Starlight

 55 mins late

 Silver Star

 56 mins late

 Crescent

 1 hour, 5 mins late

 Auto Train

 1 hour, 6 mins late

 Capitol Limited

 1 hour, 10 mins late

 Southwest Chief

 1 hour, 30 mins late

 California Zephyr

 1 hour, 45 mins late

 Sunset Limited

 1 hour, 46 mins late

2021 Full-Year Standings - Average Arrival, Only When Late

 Train

 Avg arrival when late

 Vermonter

 23 mins late

 Carolinian

 41 mins late

 Palmetto

 51 mins late

 Lake Shore Limited

 55 mins late

 Cardinal

 1 hour, 8 mins late

 Silver Meteor

 1 hour, 11 mins late

 Capitol Limited

 1 hour, 21 mins late

 Silver Star

 1 hour, 24 mins late

 City of New Orleans

 1 hour, 25 mins late

 Texas Eagle

 1 hour, 27 mins late

 Crescent

 1 hour, 36 mins late

 Empire Builder

 1 hour, 38 mins late

 Coast Starlight

 1 hour, 43 mins late

 Auto Train

 1 hour, 55 mins late

 Southwest Chief

 2 hours, 6 mins late

 Sunset Limited

 2 hours, 11 mins late

 California Zephyr

 2 hours, 36 mins late