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 |