Sunset Limited Performance
December 9, 2022
For the past several years, the Bull Sheet's statistical department has calculated the performance of Amtrak's long-distance trains with data calculated on the Bull Sheet website weekly, monthly and annually.
For the first 11 months so far this year, the Sunset Limited has arrived at its final destination just 15 percent of the time. The average arrival of all runs by this train (at its Los Angeles or New Orleans destination) has been two hours and 42 minutes behind schedule, and the average arrival of just those trains that were late has been three hours and 11 minutes behind schedule.
Last year, the Sunset Limited arrived at its final destination 19 percent of the time, with the trains that were late, on average, arriving two hours and 11 minutes late.
In 2020, when there were fewer freight trains because of the pandemic, the Sunset Limited arrived at its final destination 27 percent of the time, with those trains that were late, on average, arriving two hours and five minutes late.
In calculating the percentage of on-time arrivals, only those trains that arrived on time or earlier are shown as being 'on time.' A train that arrives nomimally late, even by a minute or two, is calculated by the Bull Sheet as arriving 'late.' This differs from the method employed by Amtrak, which considers a minimally late-arriving train as on time, based upon an adjustment by the distance the train traveled from origin to destination. The Bull Sheet considers that most Amtrak trains have sufficient padding in their schedule to offset typical enroute delays, especially approaching end points, and it is not necessary to apply a grace allowance on top of that padding to bolster on-time reporting.
Here are monthly statistics applying to the Sunset Limited over a seven-year period:
Month
% on time
Overall avg arrival
Avg arrival when late
JAN 2015
72 %
46 mins late
1 hr, 25 mins late
FEB 2015
52 %
33 mins late
1 hr, 10 mins late
MAR 2015
35 %
1 hour, 25 mins late
2 hrs, 15 mins late
JAN 2016
56 %
22 mins late
50 mins late
FEB 2016
60 %
29 mins late
1 hr, 11 mins late
MAR 2016
70 %
28 mins late
1 hr, 32 mins late
APR 2016
52 %
43 mins late
1 hr, 30 mins late
MAY 2016
59 %
1 hr, 5 mins late
2 hrs, 40 mins late
JUN 2016
45 %
52 mins late
1 hr, 36 mins late
JUL 2016
52 %
55 mins late
1 hr, 54 mins late
AUG 2016
56 %
51 mins late
1 hr, 56 mins late
SEP 2016
73 %
16 mins late
59 mins late
OCT 2016
69 %
24 mins late
1 hr, 19 mins late
NOV 2016
58 %
31 mins late
1 hr, 14 mins late
DEC 2016
73 %
18 mins late
1 hr, 7 mins late
JAN 2017
78 %
16 mins late
1 hr, 14 mins late
FEB 2017
39 %
49 mins late
1 hr, 21 mins late
MAR 2017
52 %
20 mins late
42 mins late
APR 2017
60 %
26 mins late
1 hr, 5 mins late
MAY 2017
58 %
40 mins late
1 hr, 34 mins late
JUN 2017
36 %
56 mins late
1 hr, 27 mins late
JUL 2017
40 %
52 mins late
1 hr, 27 mins late
AUG 2017
59 %
30 mins late
1 hr, 12 mins late
SEP 2017
54 %
30 mins late
1 hr, 4 mins late
OCT 2017
25 %
1 hr, 14 mins late
1 hr, 38 mins late
NOV 2017
67 %
9 mins late
27 mins late
DEC 2017
41 %
1 hr, 6 mins late
1 hr, 51 mins late
JAN 2018
39 %
30 mins late
49 mins late
FEB 2018
33 %
43 mins late
1 hr, 5 mins late
MAR 2018
50 %
1 hr, 6 mins late
2 hrs, 12 mins late
APR 2018
50 %
28 mins late
56 mins late
MAY 2018
38 %
1 hr, 3 mins late
1 hr, 42 mins late
JUN 2018
35 %
1 hr, 13 mins late
1 hr, 52 mins late
JUL 2018
15 %
4 hrs, 9 mins late
4 hrs, 53 mins late
AUG 2018
19 %
1 hr, 30 mins late
1 hr, 51 mins late
SEP 2018
18 %
2 hrs, 39 mins late
3 hrs, 14 mins late
OCT 2018
22 %
2 hrs, 17 mins late
2 hrs, 56 mins late
NOV 2018
27 %
2 hrs, 28 mins late
3 hrs, 22 mins late
DEC 2018
22 %
1 hr, 28 mins late
1 hr, 54 mins late
JAN 2019
18 %
1 hr, 53 mins late
2 hrs, 18 mins late
FEB 2019
29 %
59 mins late
1 hr, 23 mins late
MAR 2019
0 %
3 hrs, 5 mins late
3 hrs, 5 mins late
APR 2019
0 %
2 hrs, 48 mins late
2 hrs, 48 mins late
MAY 2019
31 %
1 hr, 49 mins late
2 hrs, 37 mins late
JUN 2019
9 %
3 hrs, 37 mins late
3 hrs, 56 mins late
JUL 2019
0 %
3 hrs, 28 mins late
3 hrs, 28 mins late
AUG 2019
0 %
2 hrs, 39 mins late
2 hrs, 39 mins late
SEP 2019
13 %
2 hrs, 28 mins late
2 hrs, 49 mins late
OCT 2019
8 %
3 hrs, 16 mins late
3 hrs, 33 mins late
NOV 2019
16 %
1 hr, 44 mins late
2 hrs, 4 mins late
DEC 2019
41 %
1 hr, 15 mins late
2 hrs, 7 mins late
JAN 2020
33 %
1 hr, 47 mins late
2 hrs, 40 mins late
FEB 2020
4 %
3 hrs, 19 mins late
3 hrs, 28 mins late
MAR 2020
0 %
2 hrs, 56 mins late
2 hrs, 56 mins late
APR 2020
36 %
47 mins late
1 hr, 14 mins late
MAY 2020
57 %
35 mins late
1 hr, 22 mins late
JUN 2020
38 %
41 mins late
1 hr, 6 mins late
JUL 2020
26 %
1 hr, 41 mins late
2 hrs, 17 mins late
AUG 2020
29 %
59 mins late
1 hr, 22 mins late
SEP 2020
19 %
1 hr, 47 mins late
2 hrs, 12 mins late
OCT 2020
15 %
1 hr, 16 mins late
1 hr, 29 mins late
NOV 2020
31 %
1 hr, 17 mins late
1 hr, 51 mins late
DEC 2020
28 %
1 hr, 14 mins late
1 hr, 42 mins late
JAN 2021
30 %
56 mins late
1 hr, 18 mins late
FEB 2021
6 %
2 hrs, 22 mins late
2 hrs, 30 mins late
MAR 2021
11 %
1 hr, 27 mins late
1 hr, 38 mins late
APR 2021
19 %
1 hr, 42 mins late
2 hrs, 6 mins late
MAY 2021
4 %
2 hrs, 14 mins late
2 hrs, 19 mins late
JUN 2021
31 %
1 hr, 18 mins late
1 hr, 53 mins late
JUL 2021
4 %
3 hrs, 29 mins late
3 hrs, 38 mins late
AUG 2021
9 %
3 hrs, 14 mins late
3 hrs, 33 mins late
SEP 2021
32 %
1 hr, 23 mins late
2 hrs, 1 min late
OCT 2021
15 %
1 hr, 51 mins late
2 hrs, 10 mins late
NOV 2021
31 %
1 hr, 13 mins late
1 hr, 45 mins late
DEC 2021
37 %
28 mins late
44 mins late
JAN 2022
42 %
1 hr, 14 mins late
2 hrs, 8 mins late
FEB 2022
46 %
1 hr, 16 mins late
2 hrs, 20 mins late
MAR 2022
13 %
2 hrs, 50 mins late
3 hrs, 15 mins late
APR 2022
8 %
3 hrs, 29 mins late
3 hrs, 48 mins late
MAY 2022
4 %
3 hrs, 22 mins late
3 hrs, 30 mins late
JUN 2022
0 %
4 hrs, 21 mins late
4 hrs, 21 mins late
JUL 2022
0 %
3 hrs, 8 mins late
3 hrs, 8 mins late
AUG 2022
8 %
3 hrs, 9 mins late
3 hrs, 26 mins late
SEP 2022
5 %
3 hrs, 21 mins late
3 hrs, 31 mins late
OCT 2022
16 %
2 hrs, 33 mins late
3 hrs, 3 mins late
NOV 2022
23 %
1 hr, 21 mins late
1 hr, 45 mins late
.