Amtrak's Long-Distance Train Performance
July 2021
Thirty-seven percent of Amtrak's named long-distance trains arrived at their scheduled final destination on time or earlier in July 2021.
The average arrival of all long-distance trains in the survey period was one hour and nine minutes late.
The average arrival of just those trains that were behind schedule was one hour and 50 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 July 2021 was as follows:
Date
Pct on-time arrival
Overall avg arrival
Avg arrival if late
Thursday, July 1 20 %
1 hour, 24 mins late
1 hour, 45 mins late
Friday, July 2 33 %
1 hour, 1 min late
1 hour, 31 mins late
Saturday, July 3 45 %
38 mins late
1 hour, 10 mins late
Sunday, July 4 57 %
53 mins late
2 hours, 3 mins late
Monday, July 5 57 %
42 mins late
1 hour, 38 mins late
Tuesday, July 6 41 %
1 hour, 9 mins late
1 hour, 58 mins late
Wednesday, July 7 43 %
46 mins late
1 hour, 20 mins late
Thursday, July 8 21 %
1 hour, 12 mins late
1 hour, 32 mins late
Friday, July 9 28 %
1 hour, 25 mins late
1 hour, 57 mins late
Saturday, July 10 45 %
1 hour, 2 mins late
1 hour, 53 mins late
Sunday, July 11 45 %
52 mins late
1 hour, 34 mins late
Monday, July 12 37 %
1 hour, 14 mins late
1 hour, 57 mins late
Tuesday, July 13 43 %
1 hour, 13 mins late
2 hours, 8 mins late
Wednesday, July 14 30 %
1 hour, 52 mins late
2 hours, 40 mins late
Thursday, July 15 38 %
1 hour, 8 mins late
1 hour, 50 mins late
Friday, July 16 17 %
2 hours, 33 mins late
3 hours, 5 mins late
Saturday, July 17 34 %
1 hour, 7 mins late
1 hour, 43 mins late
Sunday, July 18 40 %
1 hour late
1 hour, 40 mins late
Monday, July 19 31 %
1 hour, 56 mins late
2 hours, 49 mins late
Tuesday, July 20 39 %
1 hour, 10 mins late
1 hour, 54 mins late
Wednesday, July 21 28 %
1 hour, 28 mins late
2 hours, 2 mins late
Thursday, July 22 39 %
1 hour, 10 mins late
1 hour, 55 mins late
Friday, July 23 31 %
1 hour, 9 mins late
1 hour, 41 mins late
Saturday, July 24 53 %
49 mins late
1 hour, 46 mins late
Sunday, July 25 45 %
1 hour, 2 mins late
1 hour, 53 mins late
Monday, July 26 47 %
55 mins late
1 hour, 43 mins late
Tuesday, July 27 26 %
47 mins late
1 hour, 3 mins late
Wednesday, July 28 31 %
1 hour, 15 mins late
1 hour, 50 mins late
Thursday, July 29 32 %
1 hour, 11 mins late
1 hour, 45 mins late
Friday, July 30 33 %
1 hour, 5 mins late
1 hour, 38 mins late
Saturday, July 31 45 %
32 mins late
58 mins late
Composite for Month 37 %
1 hour, 9 mins late
1 hour, 50 mins late
Six-year comparison for July . . .
6-year comparison
Pct on-time arrival
Overall avg arrival
Avg arrival if late
July 2016 30 %
59 mins late
1 hour, 24 mins late
July 2017 22 %
1 hour, 19 mins late
1 hour, 41 mins late
July 2018 20 %
1 hour, 33 mins late
1 hour, 56 mins late
July 2019 18 %
1 hour, 37 mins late
1 hour, 58 mins late
July 2020 47 %
42 mins late
1 hour, 20 mins late
July 2021 37 %
1 hour, 9 mins late
1 hour, 50 mins late
July 2021 Train-by-Train Performance . . .
Train
Pct on-time arrival
Overall avg arrival
Avg arrival if late
Auto Train 60 %
35 mins late
1 hour, 26 mins late
California Zephyr 7 %
3 hours, 46 mins late
4 hours, 2 mins late
Capitol Limited 11 %
1 hour, 41 mins late
1 hour, 53 mins late
Cardinal 30 %
31 mins late
44 mins late
Carolinian 31 %
24 mins late
35 mins late
City of New Orleans 90 %
8 mins late
1 hour, 16 mins late
Coast Starlight 67 %
9 mins late
26 mins late
Crescent 50 %
29 mins late
58 mins late
Empire Builder 58 %
32 mins late
1 hour, 17 mins late
Lake Shore Limited 27 %
1 hour late
1 hour, 21 mins late
Maple Leaf [no data]
.
.
Palmetto 10 %
1 hour, 3 mins late
1 hour, 9 mins late
Silver Meteor 63 %
25 mins late
1 hour, 7 mins late
Silver Star 39 %
49 mins late
1 hour, 20 mins late
Southwest Chief 8 %
3 hours, 17 mins late
3 hours, 35 mins late
Sunset Limited 4 %
3 hours, 29 mins late
3 hours, 38 mins late
Texas Eagle 42 %
1 hour, 5 mins late
1 hour, 52 mins late
Vermonter 35 %
26 mins late
40 mins late
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2021 Year-to-Date Standings - Percentage On-Time Arrival
Train |
Pct on-time arrival |
| City of New Orleans | 86 % |
| Empire Builder | 59 % |
| Texas Eagle | 56 % |
| Carolinian | 53 % |
| Auto Train | 49 % |
| Coast Starlight | 45 % |
| Silver Meteor | 45 % |
| Cardinal | 37 % |
| Lake Shore Limited | 35 % |
| Vermonter | 35 % |
| California Zephyr | 33 % |
| Crescent | 31 % |
| Silver Star | 29 % |
| Palmetto | 24 % |
| Southwest Chief | 21 % |
| Sunset Limited | 16 % |
| Capitol Limited | 14 % |
2021 Year-to-Date Standings - Overall Average Arrival
Train |
Overall avg arrival |
| City of New Orleans | 10 mins late |
| Carolinian | 21 mins late |
| Vermonter | 26 mins late |
| Empire Builder | 37 mins late |
| Cardinal | 42 mins late |
| Silver Meteor | 42 mins late |
| Texas Eagle | 42 mins late |
| Lake Shore Limited | 43 mins late |
| Palmetto | 50 mins late |
| Coast Starlight | 51 mins late |
| Auto Train | 54 mins late |
| Capitol Limited | 1 hour, 10 mins late |
| Crescent | 1 hour, 10 mins late |
| Silver Star | 1 hour, 14 mins late |
| Sunset Limited | 1 hour, 53 mins late |
| California Zephyr | 1 hour, 58 mins late |
| Southwest Chief | 2 hours, 5 mins late |
2021 Year-to-Date Standings - Average Arrival, Only When Late
Train |
Avg arrival when late |
| Vermonter | 40 mins late |
| Carolinian | 44 mins late |
| Lake Shore Limited | 1 hour, 6 mins late |
| Palmetto | 1 hour, 6 mins late |
| Cardinal | 1 hour, 6 mins late |
| City of New Orleans | 1 hour, 10 mins late |
| Silver Meteor | 1 hour, 16 mins late |
| Capitol Limited | 1 hour, 22 mins late |
| Empire Builder | 1 hour, 31 mins late |
| Coast Starlight | 1 hour, 33 mins late |
| Texas Eagle | 1 hour, 35 mins late |
| Crescent | 1 hour, 43 mins late |
| Silver Star | 1 hour, 44 mins late |
| Auto Train | 1 hour, 45 mins late |
| Sunset Limited | 2 hours, 13 mins late |
| Southwest Chief | 2 hours, 38 mins late |
| California Zephyr | 2 hours, 55 mins late |