Amtrak's Long-Distance Train Performance
December 2024
Forty-six percent of Amtrak's named long-distance trains arrived at their final destination on time or earlier in December 2024.
The average arrival of all long-distance trains in the survey period was 40 minutes late.
The average arrival of just those trains that were behind schedule was one hour and 14 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 most often differ.
Average daily long-distance train performance in December 2024 was as follows:
Date
Pct on-time arrival
Overall avg arrival
Avg arrival if late
Sunday, December 1 38 %
59 mins late
1 hour, 34 mins late
Monday, December 2 38 %
44 mins late
1 hour, 11 mins late
Tuesday, December 3 41 %
38 mins late
1 hour, 4 mins late
Wednesday, December 4 56 %
41 mins late
1 hour, 32 mins late
Thursday, December 5 39 %
51 mins late
1 hour, 24 mins late
Friday, December 6 46 %
34 mins late
1 hour, 3 mins late
Saturday, December 7 39 %
40 mins late
1 hour, 6 mins late
Sunday, December 8 53 %
18 mins late
43 mins late
Monday, December 9 53 %
13 mins late
28 mins late
Tuesday, December 10 52 %
39 mins late
1 hour, 20 mins late
Wednesday, December 11 41 %
42 mins late
1 hour, 11 mins late
Thursday, December 12 39 %
54 mins late
1 hour, 29 mins late
Friday, December 13 29 %
43 mins late
1 hour late
Saturday, December 14 38 %
21 mins late
34 mins late
Sunday, December 15 39 %
37 mins late
1 hour, 1 min late
Monday, December 16 48 %
32 mins late
1 hour, 2 mins late
Tuesday December 17 48 %
34 mins late
1 hour, 7 mins late
Wednesday, December 18 56 %
28 mins late
1 hour, 3 mins late
Thursday, December 19 27 %
46 mins late
1 hour, 4 mins late
Friday, December 20 49 %
19 mins late
36 mins late
Saturday, December 21 36 %
50 mins late
1 hour, 18 mins late
Sunday, December 22 30 %
1 hour, 43 mins late
2 hours, 28 mins late
Monday, December 23 29 %
1 hour, 29 mins late
2 hours, 6 mins late
Tuesday, December 24 41 %
46 mins late
1 hour, 17 mins late
C H R I S T M A S 71 %
40 mins late
2 hours, 15 mins late
Thursday, December 26 48 %
58 mins late
1 hour, 53 mins late
Friday, December 27 54 %
21 mins late
46 mins late
Saturday, December 28 55 %
45 mins late
1 hour, 38 mins late
Sunday, December 29 41 %
40 mins late
1 hour, 7 mins late
Monday, December 30 62 %
12 mins late
30 mins late
Tuesday, December 31 75 %
5 mins late
22 mins late
Average for month 46 %
40 mins late
1 hour, 14 mins late
Nine-year comparison for December . . .
9-year comparison
Pct on-time arrival
Overall avg arrival
Avg arrival if late
December 2016 35 %
54 mins late
1 hour, 23 mins late
December 2017 35 %
1 hour late
1 hour, 32 mins late
December 2018 37 %
59 mins late
1 hour, 33 mins late
December 2019 43 %
39 mins late
1 hour, 9 mins late
December 2020 64 %
25 mins late
1 hour, 10 mins late
December 2021 37 %
1 hour late
1 hour, 34 mins late
December 2022 48 %
52 mins late
1 hour, 39 mins late
December 2023 56 %
27 mins late
1 hour late
December 2024 46 %
40 mins late
1 hour, 14 mins late
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
December 2024 Train-by-Train Performance . . .
Auto Train .
California Zephyr .
Cardinal .
Carolinian .
City of New Orleans .
Coast Starlight .
Crescent .
Empire Builder .
Floridian .
Lake Shore Limited .
Maple Leaf .
Palmetto .
Silver Meteor .
Southwest Chief .
Sunset Limited .
Texas Eagle .
Vermonter .
COMPOSITE - (Long-DistanceTrains, December 2024)
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Year 2024 Standings - Percentage On-Time Arrival
Train |
Pct on time arrival |
| City of New Orleans | 81 % |
| Sunset Limited | 64 % |
| Capitol Limited | 59 % |
| Lake Shore Limited | 57 % |
| Empire Builder | 48 % |
| Texas Eagle | 48 % |
| California Zephyr | 47 % |
| Auto Train | 46 % |
| Crescent | 46 % |
| Coast Starlight | 45 % |
| Maple Leaf | 36 % |
| .Palmetto | 34 % |
| Vermonter | 31 % |
| Cardinal | 31 % |
| Silver Meteor | 29 % |
| Silver Star | 24 % |
| Southwest Chief | 22 % |
| Carolinian | 21 % |
| Floridian | 20 % |
Year 2024 Standings - Overall Average Arrival
Train |
Avg arrival when late |
| Lake Shore Limited | 18 mins late |
| City of New Orleans | 18 mins late |
| Maple Leaf | 19 mins late |
| Capitol Limited | 20 mins late |
| Vermonter | 23 mins late |
| Palmetto | 33 mins late |
| Crescent | 39 mins late |
| Sunset Limited | 44 mins late |
| Carolinian | 48 mins late |
| Texas Eagle | 53 mins late |
| Auto Train | 53 mins late |
| .Coast Starlight | 54 mins late |
| Empire Builder | 54 mins late |
| Cardinal | 58 mins late |
| Silver Meteor | 1 hour, 2 mins late |
| California Zephyr | 1 hour, 8 mins late |
| Silver Star | 1 hour, 14 mins late |
| Floridian | 1 hour, 24 mins late |
| Southwest Chief | 1 hour, 55 mins late |
Year 2024 Standings - Average Arrival When Late
Train |
Avg arrival when late |
| Maple Leaf | 30 mins late |
| Vermonter | 34 mins late |
| Lake Shore Limited | 41 mins late |
| Palmetto | 49 mins late |
| Capitol Limited | 49 mins late |
| Carolinian | 1 hour, 1 min late |
| Crescent | 1 hour, 12 mins late |
| Cardinal | 1 hour, 25 mins late |
| Silver Meteor | 1 hour, 28 mins late |
| City of New Orleans | 1 hour, 36 mins late |
| Silver Star | 1 hour, 38 mins late |
| .Coast Starlight | 1 hour, 38 mins late |
| Auto Train | 1 hour, 38 mins late |
| Texas Eagle | 1 hour, 42 mins late |
| Empire Builder | 1 hour, 44 mins late |
| Floridian | 1 hour, 45 mins late |
| Sunset Limited | 2 hours, 3 mins late |
| California Zephyr | 2 hours, 9 mins late |
| Southwest Chief | 2 hours, 28 mins late |