Amtrak's Long-Distance Train Performance
May 2021
Thirty-two percent of Amtrak's named long-distance trains arrived at their scheduled final destination on time or earlier in May 2021.
The average arrival of all long-distance trains in the survey period was one hour and 12 minutes late.
The average arrival of just those trains that were behind schedule was one hour and 46 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 generally differ.
Average daily long-distance train performance in May 2021 was as follows:
Date
Pct on-time arrival
Overall avg arrival
Avg arrival if late
Saturday, May 1 43 %
47 mins late
1 hour, 23 mins late
Sunday, May 2 36 %
32 mins late
50 mins late
Monday, May 3 43 %
48 mins late
1 hour, 24 mins late
Tuesday, May 4 17 %
1 hour, 1 min late
1 hour, 13 mins late
Wednesday, May 5 29 %
1 hour, 19 mins late
1 hour, 52 mins late
Thursday, May 6 31 %
4 hours, 8 mins late
6 hours, 1 min late
Friday, May 7 25 %
3 hours, 35 mins late
4 hours, 47 mins late
Saturday, May 8 53 %
1 hour, 12 mins late
2 hours, 33 mins late
Sunday, May 9 57 %
41 mins late
1 hour, 35 mins late
Monday, May 10 26 %
1 hour, 38 mins late
2 hours, 12 mins late
Tuesday, May 11 33 %
31 mins late
47 mins late
Wednesday, May 12 35 %
33 mins late
51 mins late
Thursday, May 13 27 %
42 mins late
57 mins late
Friday, May 14 25 %
33 mins late
44 mins late
Saturday, May 15 38 %
1 hour, 40 mins late
2 hours, 42 mins late
Sunday, May 16 33 %
1 hour, 9 mins late
1 hour, 44 mins late
Monday, May 17 39 %
55 mins late
1 hour, 31 mins late
Tuesday, May 18 25 %
35 mins late
47 mins late
Wednesday, May 19 29 %
39 mins late
55 mins late
Thursday, May 20 6 %
2 hours, 15 mins late
2 hours, 23 mins late
Friday, May 21 19 %
1 hour, 48 mins late
2 hours, 12 mins late
Saturday, May 22 29 %
1 hour, 20 mins late
1 hour, 51 mins late
Sunday, May 23 14 %
53 mins late
1 hour, 2 mins late
Monday, May 24 22 %
1 hour, 25 mins late
1 hour, 48 mins late
Tuesday, May 25 50 %
32 mins late
1 hour, 5 mins late
Wednesday, May 26 19 %
1 hour, 8 mins late
1 hour, 24 mins late
Thursday, May 27 33 %
1 hour, 2 mins late
1 hour, 33 mins late
Friday, May 28 25 %
1 hour, 24 mins late
1 hour, 51 mins late
Saturday, May 29 43 %
47 mins late
1 hour, 24 mins late
Sunday, May 30 45 %
24 mins late
44 mins late
Monday, May 31 40 %
1 hour, 2 mins late
1 hour, 43 mins late
Composite for Month 32 %
1 hour, 12 mins late
1 hour, 46 mins late
Six-year comparison for May . . .
6-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 2021 Train-by-Train Performance . . .
Train
Pct on-time arrival
Overall avg arrival
Avg arrival if late
Auto Train 27 %
2 hours, 19 mins late
3 hours, 10 mins late
California Zephyr 42 %
1 hour, 10 mins late
2 hours, 2 mins late
Capitol Limited 7 %
1 hour, 14 mins late
1 hour, 20 mins late
Cardinal 37 %
37 mins late
59 mins late
Carolinian 49 %
17 mins late
33 mins late
City of New Orleans 96 %
0 mins late
11 mins late
Coast Starlight 38 %
29 mins late
48 mins late
Crescent 11 %
1 hour, 50 mins late
2 hours, 4 mins late
Empire Builder 41 %
1 hour, 1 min late
1 hour, 43 mins late
Lake Shore Limited 33 %
55 mins late
1 hour, 23 mins late
Maple Leaf [no data]
.
.
Palmetto 15 %
44 mins late
52 mins late
Silver Meteor 3 %
2 hours, 4 mins late
2 hours, 8 mins late
Silver Star 0 %
1 hour, 54 mins late
1 hour, 54 mins late
Southwest Chief 29 %
1 hour, 59 mins late
2 hours, 47 mins late
Sunset Limited 4 %
2 hours, 14 mins late
2 hours, 19 mins late
Texas Eagle 58 %
29 mins late
1 hour, 10 mins late
Vermonter [no data]
.
.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2021 Year-to-Date Standings - Percentage On-Time Arrival
Train |
Pct on-time arrival |
| City of New Orleans | 86 % |
| Texas Eagle | 61 % |
| Carolinian | 61 % |
| California Zephyr | 54 % |
| Empire Builder | 54 % |
| Auto Train | 49 % |
| Coast Starlight | 48 % |
| Cardinal | 42 % |
| Silver Meteor | 38 % |
| Palmetto | 38 % |
| Lake Shore Limited | 37 % |
| Southwest Chief | 34 % |
| Silver Star | 26 % |
| Capitol Limited | 16 % |
| Sunset Limited | 15 % |
| Crescent | 13 % |
2021 Year-to-Date Standings - Overall Average Arrival
Train |
Overall avg arrival |
| City of New Orleans | 8 mins late |
| Carolinian | 19 mins late |
| Texas Eagle | 29 mins late |
| Cardinal | 34 mins late |
| Palmetto | 36 mins late |
| Lake Shore Limited | 40 mins late |
| Coast Starlight | 40 mins late |
| Empire Builder | 46 mins late |
| Silver Meteor | 50 mins late |
| California Zephyr | 57 mins late |
| Capitol Limited | 57 mins late |
| Auto Train | 1 hour, 2 mins late |
| Southwest Chief | 1 hour, 8 mins late |
| Silver Star | 1 hour, 25 mins late |
| Sunset Limited | 1 hour, 41 mins late |
| Crescent | 1 hour, 46 mins late |
2021 Year-to-Date Standings - Average Arrival, Only When Late
Train |
Avg arrival when late |
| Carolinian | 49 mins late |
| Palmetto | 58 mins late |
| Cardinal | 59 mins late |
| City of New Orleans | 1 hour late |
| Lake Shore Limited | 1 hour, 3 mins late |
| Capitol Limited | 1 hour, 8 mins late |
| Texas Eagle | 1 hour, 15 mins late |
| Coast Starlight | 1 hour, 18 mins late |
| Silver Meteor | 1 hour, 21 mins late |
| Empire Builder | 1 hour, 39 mins late |
| Southwest Chief | 1 hour, 43 mins late |
| Silver Star | 1 hour, 54 mins late |
| Sunset Limited | 1 hour, 58 mins late |
| Crescent | 2 hours, 1 min late |
| Auto Train | 2 hours, 2 mins late |
| California Zephyr | 2 hours, 3 mins late |