Amtrak Long-Distance Trains
Performance for the Year 2021
Forty-one percent of Amtrak's named long-distance trains arrived at their scheduled final destination on time or earlier in the full year 2021... The remaining trains, on average, arrived one hour and 27 minutes late.
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This Year's Performance of Individual Trains . . . .
Auto Train
California Zephyr
Capitol Limited
Cardinal
Carolinian
City of New Orleans
Coast Starlight
Crescent
Empire Builder
Lake Shore Limited
Maple Leaf [Canadian portion of run suspended]
Palmetto
Silver Meteor
Silver Star
Southwest Chief
Sunset Limited
Texas Eagle
Vermonter
COMPOSITE - (Long-DistanceTrains, Full Year 2021)
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Comparative Performance (2016 to 2021)
Annual Performance
Pct on-time arrival
Overall avg arrival
Avg arrival if late
2016
40 %
48 mins late
1 hour, 14 mins late
2017
30 %
1 hour late
1 hour, 27 mins late
2018
31 %
1 hour, 7 mins late
1 hour, 36 mins late
2019
33 %
1 hour, 3 mins late
1 hour, 34 mins late
2020
56 %
33 mins late
1 hour, 14 mins late
2021
41 %
52 mins late
1 hour, 27 mins late
Monthly Performance in 2021
Monthly performance
Pct on-time arrival
Overall avg arrival
Avg arrival if late
January 2021 59 %
28 mins late
1 hour, 9 mins late
February 2021 46 %
1 hour, 3 mins late
1 hour, 56 mins late
March 2021 42 %
50 mins late
1 hour, 26 mins late
April 2021 42 %
39 mins late
1 hour, 7 mins late
May 2021 32 %
1 hour, 12 mins late
1 hour, 46 mins late
June 2021 39 %
1 hour late
1 hour, 37 mins late
July 2021 37 %
1 hour, 9 mins late
1 hour, 50 mins late
August 2021 37 %
46 mins late
1 hour, 13 mins late
September 2021 43 %
38 mins late
1 hour, 6 mins late
October 2021 39 %
52 mins late
1 hour, 24 mins late
November 2021 43 %
43 mins late
1 hour, 15 mins late
December 2021 37 %
1 hour late
1 hour, 34 mins late
Composite averages 41 %
52 mins late
1 hour, 27 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 |
ABOUT THESE REPORTS:
The Bull Sheet calculates arrival performance at final destination of Amtrak's named long-distance trains. The data are based upon the reported arrival times of each of the affected trains, and there is no grace allowance for minimal lateness. If a train arrives at its final terminal behind schedule, even by a minute, it is considered 'late.' Trains must arrive on time, or earlier, to be considered 'on time.' The Bull Sheet considers that long-distance Amtrak trains have sufficient padding in their schedule to offset routine en route delays, and it is not necessary to apply a grace allowance on top of that padding in an effort to bolster on-time reporting. Accordingly, these reports offer a more realistic analysis than what is routinely reported by Amtrak.
Data apply solely to final destination, not to intermediate points. They do not adjust for any time gained en route if the train left the originating station late and then gained time, and no additional credit is given for trains that arrive at their final destination ahead of schedule.
Runs that are canceled, truncated, terminated en route, or reported with missing, incomplete or ambiguous data are excluded from the survey.
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