Amtrak's Long-Distance Train Performance
August 2016
For the month of August 2016, the Bull Sheet has calculated that 33 percent of Amtrak's named long-distance trains arrived at their final destination on time or earlier.
The average arrival of all long-distance trains in the survey period was 48 minutes late.
The average arrival of the 67 percent of trains that arrived behind schedule was one hour and 12 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 nominally late.
Trains arriving ahead of schedule are shown 'on time,' with no extra credit given to offset other arrivals that are late.
This survey was compiled by the Bull Sheet's statistical department comprehending actual performance as reported for each affected train on Amtrak's website.
Individual train performance over the course of the month of August 2016 was as follows:
Train
Pct on-time arrival
Overall avg arrival
Avg arrival if late
Auto Train 47 %
30 mins late
55 mins late
California Zephyr 52 %
45 mins late
1 hour, 32 mins late
Capitol Limited 30 %
39 mins late
55 mins late
Cardinal 42 %
1 hour, 3 mins late
1 hour, 49 mins late
Carolinian 12 %
49 mins late
56 mins late
City of New Orleans 53 %
29 mins late
1 hour, 1 min late
Coast Starlight 44 %
51 mins late
1 hour, 31 mins late
Crescent 21 %
50 mins late
1 hour, 4 mins late
Empire Builder 71 %
22 mins late
1 hour, 15 mins late
Lake Shore Limited 8 %
1 hour, 9 mins late
1 hour, 15 mins late
Maple Leaf 24 %
45 mins late
1 hour late
Palmetto 19 %
43 mins late
53 mins late
Silver Meteor 24 %
1 hour, 2 mins late
1 hour, 21 mins late
Silver Star 21 %
1 hour, 1 min late
1 hour, 17 mins late
Southwest Chief 19 %
1 hour, 33 mins late
1 hour, 55 mins late
Sunset Limited 56 %
51 mins late
1 hour, 56 mins late
Texas Eagle 39 %
50 mins late
1 hour, 21 mins late
Vermonter 10 %
38 mins late
42 mins late
RECAP . . . . .
Recap 8 months
Pct on-time arrival
Overall avg arrival
Avg arrival if late
JANUARY 2016 55 %
31 mins late
1 hour, 8 mins late
FEBRUARY 2016 50 %
34 mins late
1 hour, 7 mins late
MARCH 2016 44 %
40 mins late
1 hour, 12 mins late
APRIL 2016 44 %
36 mins late
1 hour, 4 mins late
MAY 2016 41 %
38 mins late
1 hour, 6 mins late
JUNE 2016 29 %
1 hour, 2 mins late
1 hour, 26 mins late
JULY 2016 30 %
59 mins late
1 hour, 24 mins late
AUGUST 2016 33 %
48 mins late
1 hour, 12 mins late