Amtrak's Long-Distance Train Performance
February 2022
Forty-six percent of Amtrak's named long-distance trains arrived at their final destination on time or earlier in February 2022.
The average arrival of all long-distance trains in the survey period was 48 minutes late.
The average arrival of just those trains that were behind schedule was one hour and 29 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 arriving on time if they are nominally late, within certain guidelines. But the Bull Sheet conveys more 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 likely differ.
Average daily long-distance train performance in February 2022 was as follows:
Date
Pct on-time arrival
Overall avg arrival
Avg arrival if late
Tuesday, February 1 63 %
22 mins late
59 mins late
Wednesday, February 2 59 %
16 mins late
34 mins late
Thursday, February 3 50 %
40 mins late
1 hour, 20 mins late
Friday, February 4 5 %
1 hour, 21 mins late
1 hour, 25 mins late
Saturday, February 5 54 %
44 mins late
1 hour, 35 mins late
Sunday, February 6 48 %
53 mins late
1 hour, 43 mins late
Monday, February 7 52 %
35 mins late
1 hour, 13 mins late
Tuesday, February 8 41 %
1 hour, 13 mins late
2 hours, 2 mins late
Wednesday, February 9 48 %
39 mins late
1 hour, 15 mins late
Thursday, February 10 30 %
22 mins late
32 mins late
Friday, February 11 46 %
45 mins late
1 hour, 24 mins late
Saturday, February 12 54 %
45 mins late
1 hour, 37 mins late
Sunday, February 13 58 %
45 mins late
1 hour, 49 mins late
Monday, February 14 48 %
1 hour, 2 mins late
2 hours late
Tuesday, February 15 67 %
27 mins late
1 hour, 21 mins late
Wednesday, February 16 57 %
24 mins late
56 mins late
Thursday, February 17 40 %
37 mins late
1 hour, 1 min late
Friday, February 18 26 %
58 mins late
1 hour, 19 mins late
Saturday, February 19 40 %
1 hour, 4 mins late
1 hour, 47 mins late
Sunday, February 20 43 %
1 hour, 11 mins late
2 hours, 6 mins late
Monday, February 21 52 %
24 mins late
49 mins late
Tuesday, February 22 52 %
51 mins late
1 hour, 45 mins late
Wednesday, February 23 43 %
1 hour late
1 hour, 46 mins late
Thursday, February 24 42 %
1 hour, 18 mins late
2 hours, 10 mins late
Friday, February 25 28 %
1 hour, 15 mins late
1 hour, 44 mins late
Saturday, February 26 35 %
31 mins late
48 mins late
Sunday, February 27 44 %
1 hour, 18 mins late
2 hours, 19 mins late
Monday, February 28 50 %
43 mins late
1 hour, 27 mins late
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Composite for Month 46 %
48 mins late
1 hour, 29 mins late
Eight-year comparison for February . . .
8-year comparison
Pct on-time arrival
Overall avg arrival
Avg arrival if late
February 2015 38 %
1 hour, 1 min late
1 hour, 40 mins late
February 2016 50 %
34 mins late
1 hour, 7 mins late
February 2017 40 %
50 mins late
1 hour, 24 mins late
February 2018 37 %
55 mins late
1 hour, 27 mins late
February 2019 39 %
1 hour, 13 mins late
1 hour, 59 mins late
February 2020 48 %
44 mins late
1 hour, 26 mins late
February 2021 46 %
1 hour, 3 mins late
1 hour, 56 mins late
February 2022 46 %
48 mins late
1 hour, 29 mins late
February 2022 Train-by-Train Performance . . .
Train
Pct on-time arrival
Overall avg arrival
Avg arrival if late
Auto Train 59 %
15 mins late
35 mins late
California Zephyr 35 %
1 hour, 55 mins late
2 hours, 57 mins late
Capitol Limited 11 %
1 hour, 52 mins late
2 hours, 6 mins late
Cardinal 38 %
32 mins late
52 mins late
Carolinian 63 %
8 mins late
21 mins late
City of New Orleans 74 %
16 mins late
1 hour, 2 mins late
Coast Starlight 58 %
1 hour, 5 mins late
2 hours, 35 mins late
Crescent 27 %
47 mins late
1 hour, 5 mins late
Empire Builder 32 %
1 hour, 25 mins late
2 hours, 4 mins late
Lake Shore Limited 33 %
58 mins late
1 hour, 27 mins late
Maple Leaf [no data]
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Palmetto 46 %
18 mins late
34 mins late
Silver Meteor [no data]
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Silver Star 41 %
44 mins late
1 hour, 14 mins late
Southwest Chief 43 %
1 hour, 28 mins late
2 hours, 33 mins late
Sunset Limited 46 %
1 hour, 16 mins late
2 hours, 20 mins late
Texas Eagle 65 %
24 mins late
1 hour, 8 mins late
Vermonter 57 %
5 mins late
11 mins late
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Year-to-Date 2022 * Standings - Percentage On-Time Arrival
Train |
Pct on-time arrival |
| City of New Orleans | 70 % |
| Texas Eagle | 69 % |
| Carolinian | 59 % |
| Silver Meteor | 59 % |
| Coast Starlight | 56 % |
| Palmetto | 51 % |
| Vermonter | 50 % |
| Auto Train | 47 % |
| Southwest Chief | 45 % |
| Sunset Limited | 44 % |
| Lake Shore Limited | 40 % |
| Silver Star | 35 % |
| Empire Builder | 35 % |
| Cardinal | 29 % |
| California Zephyr | 25 % |
| Crescent | 20 % |
| Capitol Limited | 19 % |
Year-to-Date 2022 * Standings - Overall Average Arrival
Train |
Overall avg arrival |
| Vermonter | 11 mins late |
| Carolinian | 12 mins late |
| Palmetto | 16 mins late |
| City of New Orleans | 19 mins late |
| Texas Eagle | 19 mins late |
| Lake Shore Limited | 38 mins late |
| Auto Train | 51 mins late |
| Silver Meteor | 58 mins late |
| Silver Star | 59 mins late |
| Cardinal | 1 hour, 4 mins late |
| Coast Starlight | 1 hour, 6 mins late |
| Southwest Chief | 1 hour, 6 mins late |
| Capitol Limited | 1 hour, 9 mins late |
| Sunset Limited | 1 hour, 15 mins late |
| Crescent | 1 hour, 46 mins late |
| Empire Builder | 1 hour, 49 mins late |
| California Zephyr | 2 hours, 7 mins late |
Year-to-Date 2022 * Standings - Average Arrival, Only When Late
Train |
Avg arrival when late |
| Vermonter | 22 mins late |
| Palmetto | 34 mins late |
| Carolinian | 34 mins late |
| Texas Eagle | 1 hour, 2 mins late |
| City of New Orleans | 1 hour, 2 mins late |
| Lake Shore Limited | 1 hour, 2 mins late |
| Capitol Limited | 1 hour, 25 mins late |
| Cardinal | 1 hour, 30 mins late |
| Silver Star | 1 hour, 32 mins late |
| Auto Train | 1 hour, 36 mins late |
| Southwest Chief | 2 hours late |
| Crescent | 2 hours, 13 mins late |
| Sunset Limited | 2 hours, 14 mins late |
| Silver Meteor | 2 hours, 21 mins late |
| Coast Starlight | 2 hours, 29 mins late |
| Empire Builder | 2 hours, 48 mins late |
| California Zephyr | 2 hours, 50 mins late |
* first two months of the year