Amtrak's Long-Distance Train Performance
May 2022
Twenty-seven percent of Amtrak's named long-distance trains arrived at their scheduled final destination on time or earlier in May 2022.
The average arrival of all long-distance trains in the survey period was one hour and 16 minutes late.
The average arrival of just those trains that were behind schedule was one hour and 43 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 even though 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 for minutes in advance 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 May 2022 was as follows:
Date
Pct on-time arrival
Overall avg arrival
Avg arrival if late
Sunday, May 1 30 %
39 mins late
55 mins late
Monday, May 2 29 %
51 mins late
1 hour, 11 mins late
Tuesday, May 3 35 %
55 mins late
1 hour, 24 mins late
Wednesday, May 4 35 %
1 hour, 26 mins late
2 hours, 11 mins late
Thursday, May 5 25 %
1 hour, 10 mins late
1 hour, 33 mins late
Friday, May 6 26 %
1 hour, 34 mins late
2 hours, 6 mins late
Saturday, May 7 14 %
1 hour, 40 mins late
1 hour, 57 mins late
Sunday, May 8 37 %
54 mins late
1 hour, 26 mins late
Monday, May 9 36 %
1 hour, 10 mins late
1 hour, 50 mins late
Tuesday, May 10 33 %
1 hour, 9 mins late
1 hour, 44 mins late
Wednesday, May 11 48 %
55 mins late
1 hour, 45 mins late
Thursday, May 12 27 %
1 hour, 17 mins late
1 hour, 46 mins late
Friday, May 13 15 %
2 hours, 10 mins late
2 hours, 34 mins late
Saturday, May 14 29 %
1 hour, 34 mins late
2 hours, 11 mins late
Sunday, May 15 26 %
1 hour, 21 mins late
1 hour, 50 mins late
Monday, May 16 11 %
1 hour, 16 mins late
1 hour, 25 mins late
Tuesday, May 17 33 %
1 hour, 16 mins late
1 hour, 53 mins late
Wednesday, May 18 42 %
31 mins late
54 mins late
Thursday, May 19 32 %
59 mins late
1 hour, 26 mins late
Friday, May 20 15 %
1 hour, 20 mins late
1 hour, 34 mins late
Saturday, May 21 11 %
1 hour, 30 mins late
1 hour, 41 mins late
Sunday, May 22 15 %
1 hour, 30 mins late
1 hour, 45 mins late
Monday, May 23 34 %
1 hour late
1 hour, 31 mins late
Tuesday, May 24 22 %
49 mins late
1 hour, 4 mins late
Wednesday, May 25 28 %
1 hour, 11 mins late
1 hour, 38 mins late
Thursday, May 26 21 %
1 hour, 42 mins late
2 hours, 9 mins late
Friday, May 27 15 %
1 hour, 27 mins late
1 hour, 43 mins late
Saturday, May 28 32 %
1 hour, 14 mins late
1 hour, 49 mins late
Sunday, May 29 23 %
49 mins late
1 hour, 4 mins late
Monday May 30 40 %
1 hour, 39 mins late
2 hours, 46 mins late
Tuesday, May 31 29 %
1 hour, 34 mins late
2 hours, 12 mins late
Composite for Month 27 %
1 hour, 16 mins late
1 hour, 43 mins late
Seven-year comparison for May . . .
7-year comparison
Pct on-time arrival
Overall avg arrival
Avg arrival if late
May 2016 41 %
38 mins late
1 hour, 6 mins late
May 2017 28 %
1 hour, 6 mins late
1 hour, 31 mins late
May 2018 26 %
1 hour, 7 mins late
1 hour, 30 mins late
May 2019 27 %
1 hour, 8 mins late
1 hour, 33 mins late
May 2020 65 %
25 mins late
1 hour, 11 mins late
May 2021 32 %
1 hour, 12 mins late
1 hour, 46 mins late
May 2022 27 %
1 hour, 16 mins late
1 hour, 43 mins late
May 2022 Train-by-Train Performance . . .
Train
Pct on-time arrival
Overall avg arrival
Avg arrival if late
Auto Train 18 %
1 hour, 48 mins late
2 hours, 12 mins late
California Zephyr 8 %
2 hours, 41 mins late
2 hours, 56 mins late
Capitol Limited 19 %
1 hour, 3 mins late
1 hour, 18 mins late
Cardinal 15 %
1 hour, 4 mins late
1 hour, 16 mins late
Carolinian 21 %
42 mins late
53 mins late
City of New Orleans 50 %
21 mins late
41 mins late
Coast Starlight 76 %
19 mins late
1 hour, 20 mins late
Crescent 4 %
1 hour, 45 mins late
1 hour, 49 mins late
Empire Builder 52 %
47 mins late
1 hour, 38 mins late
Lake Shore Limited 30 %
31 mins late
44 mins late
Maple Leaf [no data]
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.
Palmetto 14 %
54 mins late
1 hour, 2 mins late
Silver Meteor [no data]
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.
Silver Star 0 %
2 hours, 36 mins late
2 hours, 36 mins late
Southwest Chief 0 %
2 hours, 26 mins late
2 hours, 26 mins late
Sunset Limited 4 %
3 hours, 22 mins late
3 hours, 30 mins late
Texas Eagle 32 %
1 hour, 11 mins late
1 hour, 44 mins late
Vermonter 47 %
22 mins late
41 mins late
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Year-to-Date 2022 Standings - Percentage On-Time Arrival *
Train |
Pct on-time arrival |
| City of New Orleans | 62 % |
| Silver Meteor | 59 % |
| Coast Starlight | 58 % |
| Texas Eagle | 48 % |
| Carolinian | 46 % |
| Vermonter | 45 % |
| Empire Builder | 43 % |
| Palmetto | 37 % |
| Lake Shore Limited | 35 % |
| Auto Train | 31 % |
| Southwest Chief | 27 % |
| Cardinal | 27 % |
| Sunset Limited | 23 % |
| Crescent | 18 % |
| California Zephyr | 18 % |
| Silver Star | 16 % |
| Capitol Limited | 15 % |
Year-to-Date 2022 Standings - Overall Average Arrival *
Train |
Overall avg arrival |
| Vermonter | 11 mins late |
| Carolinian | 21 mins late |
| City of New Orleans | 26 mins late |
| Palmetto | 26 mins late |
| Lake Shore Limited | 36 mins late |
| Coast Starlight | 42 mins late |
| Texas Eagle | 43 mins late |
| Cardinal | 51 mins late |
| Silver Meteor | 58 mins late |
| Auto Train | 1 hour, 3 mins late |
| Capitol Limited | 1 hour, 16 mins late |
| Empire Builder | 1 hour, 16 mins late |
| Southwest Chief | 1 hour, 30 mins late |
| Crescent | 1 hour, 31 mins late |
| Silver Star | 1 hour, 33 mins late |
| California Zephyr | 2 hours, 22 mins late |
| Sunset Limited | 2 hours, 26 mins late |
Year-to-Date 2022 Standings - Average Arrival When Late *
Train |
Avg arrival when late |
| Vermonter | 21 mins late |
| Carolinian | 39 mins late |
| Palmetto | 41 mins late |
| Lake Shore Limited | 56 mins late |
| City of New Orleans | 1 hour, 7 mins late |
| Cardinal | 1 hour, 9 mins late |
| Texas Eagle | 1 hour, 21 mins late |
| Capitol Limited | 1 hour, 30 mins late |
| Auto Train | 1 hour, 31 mins late |
| Coast Starlight | 1 hour, 41 mins late |
| Silver Star | 1 hour, 51 mins late |
| Crescent | 1 hour, 51 mins late |
| Southwest Chief | 2 hours, 3 mins late |
| Empire Builder | 2 hours, 15 mins late |
| Silver Meteor | 2 hours, 21 mins late |
| California Zephyr | 2 hours, 52 mins late |
| Sunset Limited | 3 hours, 8 mins late |
* First five months of 2022
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