Amtrak's Long-Distance Train Performance
December 2021
Thirty-seven percent of Amtrak's named long-distance trains arrived at their scheduled final destination on time or earlier in December 2021.
The average arrival of all long-distance trains in the survey period was one hour late.
The average arrival of just those trains that were behind schedule was one hour and 34 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 as arriving on time even 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 December 2021 was as follows:
Date
Pct on-time arrival
Overall avg arrival
Avg arrival if late
Wednesday, December 1 44 %
28 mins late
50 mins late
Thursday, December 2 50 %
42 mins late
1 hour, 25 mins late
Friday, December 3 40 %
37 mins late
1 hour, 1 min late
Saturday, December 4 50 %
34 mins late
1 hour, 8 mins late
Sunday, December 5 42 %
41 mins late
1 hour, 11 mins late
Monday, December 6 29 %
1 hour, 4 mins late
1 hour, 31 mins late
Tuesday, December 7 42 %
45 mins late
1 hour, 19 mins late
Wednesday, December 8 41 %
34 mins late
58 mins late
Thursday, December 9 33 %
51 mins late
1 hour, 17 mins late
Friday, December 10 43 %
39 mins late
1 hour, 8 mins late
Saturday, December 11 28 %
1 hour, 11 mins late
1 hour, 38 mins late
Sunday, December 12 42 %
50 mins late
1 hour, 27 mins late
Monday, December 13 36 %
39 mins late
1 hour, 2 mins late
Tuesday, December 14 31 %
52 mins late
1 hour, 16 mins late
Wednesday, December 15 44 %
40 mins late
1 hour, 12 mins late
Thursday, December 16 27 %
1 hour, 53 mins late
2 hours, 35 mins late
Friday, December 17 24 %
1 hour, 9 mins late
1 hour, 38 mins late
Saturday, December 18 31 %
1 hour, 3 mins late
1 hour, 31 mins late
Sunday, December 19 28 %
1 hour, 1 min late
1 hour, 25 mins late
Monday, December 20 24 %
1 hour, 15 mins late
1 hour, 38 mins late
Tuesday, December 21 36 %
35 mins late
55 mins late
Wednesday, December 22 21 %
1 hour, 19 mins late
1 hour, 40 mins late
Thursday, December 23 33 %
1 hour, 33 mins late
2 hours, 19 mins late
Christmas Eve 37 %
1 hour, 38 mins late
2 hours, 35 mins late
Christmas Day 63 %
31 mins late
1 hour, 26 mins late
Sunday, December 26 52 %
47 mins late
1 hour, 36 mins late
Monday, December 27 34 %
1 hour, 19 mins late
2 hours late
Tuesday, December 28 41 %
1 hour, 22 mins late
2 hours, 19 mins late
Wednesday, December 29 36 %
1 hour, 35 mins late
2 hours, 29 mins late
Thursday, December 30 39 %
1 hour, 26 mins late
2 hours, 22 mins late
Friday, December 31 37 %
1 hour, 11 mins late
1 hour, 53 mins late
Composite for Month 37 %
1 hour late
1 hour, 34 mins late
Six-year comparison for December . . .
6-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 2021 Train-by-Train Performance . . .
Train
Pct on-time arrival
Overall avg arrival
Avg arrival if late
Auto Train 15 %
2 hours, 19 mins late
2 hours, 43 mins late
California Zephyr 45 %
1 hour, 53 mins late
3 hours, 26 mins late
Capitol Limited 26 %
43 mins late
59 mins late
Cardinal 37 %
48 mins late
1 hour, 16 mins late
Carolinian 55 %
13 mins late
29 mins late
City of New Orleans 75 %
30 mins late
1 hour, 57 mins late
Coast Starlight 39 %
1 hour, 18 mins late
2 hours, 8 mins late
Crescent 8 %
1 hour, 51 mins late
2 hours, 1 min late
Empire Builder 30 %
1 hour, 57 mins late
2 hours, 47 mins late
Lake Shore Limited 33 %
34 mins late
51 mins late
Maple Leaf [no data]
.
.
Palmetto 39 %
36 mins late
1 hour late
Silver Meteor 19 %
1 hour, 4 mins late
1 hour, 20 mins late
Silver Star 23 %
43 mins late
55 mins late
Southwest Chief 40 %
59 mins late
1 hour, 38 mins late
Sunset Limited 37 %
28 mins late
44 mins late
Texas Eagle 73 %
12 mins late
45 mins late
Vermonter 50 %
7 mins late
15 mins late
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2021 Full-Year Standings - Percentage On-Time Arrival
Train |
Pct on-time arrival |
| City of New Orleans | 85 % |
| Texas Eagle | 54 % |
| Empire Builder | 53 % |
| Carolinian | 53 % |
| Coast Starlight | 47 % |
| Silver Meteor | 44 % |
| Auto Train | 43 % |
| Cardinal | 36 % |
| Vermonter | 35 % |
| Silver Star | 34 % |
| California Zephyr | 33 % |
| Crescent | 32 % |
| Lake Shore Limited | 31 % |
| Palmetto | 30 % |
| Southwest Chief | 29 % |
| Sunset Limited | 19 % |
| Capitol Limited | 13 % |
2021 Full-Year Standings - Overall Average Arrival
Train |
Overall avg arrival |
| City of New Orleans | 13 mins late |
| Vermonter | 15 mins late |
| Carolinian | 19 mins late |
| Palmetto | 36 mins late |
| Lake Shore Limited | 38 mins late |
| Silver Meteor | 40 mins late |
| Texas Eagle | 40 mins late |
| Cardinal | 44 mins late |
| Empire Builder | 46 mins late |
| Coast Starlight | 55 mins late |
| Silver Star | 56 mins late |
| Crescent | 1 hour, 5 mins late |
| Auto Train | 1 hour, 6 mins late |
| Capitol Limited | 1 hour, 10 mins late |
| Southwest Chief | 1 hour, 30 mins late |
| California Zephyr | 1 hour, 45 mins late |
| Sunset Limited | 1 hour, 46 mins late |
2021 Full-Year Standings - Average Arrival, Only When Late
Train |
Avg arrival when late |
| Vermonter | 23 mins late |
| Carolinian | 41 mins late |
| Palmetto | 51 mins late |
| Lake Shore Limited | 55 mins late |
| Cardinal | 1 hour, 8 mins late |
| Silver Meteor | 1 hour, 11 mins late |
| Capitol Limited | 1 hour, 21 mins late |
| Silver Star | 1 hour, 24 mins late |
| City of New Orleans | 1 hour, 25 mins late |
| Texas Eagle | 1 hour, 27 mins late |
| Crescent | 1 hour, 36 mins late |
| Empire Builder | 1 hour, 38 mins late |
| Coast Starlight | 1 hour, 43 mins late |
| Auto Train | 1 hour, 55 mins late |
| Southwest Chief | 2 hours, 6 mins late |
| Sunset Limited | 2 hours, 11 mins late |
| California Zephyr | 2 hours, 36 mins late |