Amtrak's Long-Distance Train Performance
November 2024
Forty-six percent of Amtrak's named long-distance trains arrived at their final destination on time or earlier in November 2024.
The average arrival of all long-distance trains in the survey period was 41 minutes late.
The average arrival of just those trains that were behind schedule was one hour and 16 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 most often differ.
Average daily long-distance train performance in November 2024 was as follows:
Date
Pct on-time arrival
Overall avg arrival
Avg arrival if late
Friday, November 1 43 %
1 hour, 13 mins late
2 hours, 9 mins late
Saturday, November 2 39 %
42 mins late
1 hour, 9 mins late
Sunday, November 3 62 %
30 mins late
1 hour, 18 mins late
Monday, November 4 44 %
23 mins late
42 mins late
Tuesday, November 5 40 %
51 mins late
1 hour, 25 mins late
Wednesday, November 6 53 %
40 mins late
1 hour, 24 mins late
Thursday, November 7 43 %
1 hour, 23 mins late
2 hours, 25 mins late
Friday, November 8 46 %
1 hour, 8 mins late
2 hours, 5 mins late
Saturday, November 9 61 %
15 mins late
40 mins late
Sunday, November 10 50 %
17 mins late
34 mins late
Monday, November 11 33 %
59 mins late
1 hour, 28 mins late
Tuesday, November 12 47 %
35 mins late
1 hour, 5 mins late
Wednesday, November 13 33 %
36 mins late
53 mins late
Thursday, November 14 33 %
36 mins late
54 mins late
Friday, November 15 53 %
30 mins late
1 hour, 3 mins late
Saturday, November 16 36 %
33 mins late
52 mins late
Sunday, November 17 52 %
51 mins late
1 hour, 44 mins late
Monday, November 18 45 %
59 mins late
1 hour, 49 mins late
Tuesday, November 19 52 %
40 mins late
1 hour, 23 mins late
Wednesday, November 20 41 %
40 mins late
1 hour, 9 mins late
Thursday, November 21 43 %
31 mins late
55 mins late
Friday, November 22 48 %
19 mins late
38 mins late
Saturday, November 23 55 %
20 mins late
43 mins late
Sunday, November 24 52 %
1 hour, 8 mins late
2 hours, 21 mins late
Monday, November 25 38 %
1 hour, 2 mins late
1 hour, 40 mins late
Tuesday, November 26 45 %
38 mins late
1 hour, 9 mins late
Wednesday, November 27 32 %
40 mins late
59 mins late
T h a n k s g i v i n g 64 %
28 mins late
1 hour, 16 mins late
Friday, November 29 66 %
12 mins late
34 mins late
Saturday, November 30 42 %
34 mins late
59 mins late
. .
.
.
Average for month 46 %
41 mins late
1 hour, 16 mins late
Nine-year comparison for November . . .
9-year comparison
Pct on-time arrival
Overall avg arrival
Avg arrival if late
November 2016 38 %
46 mins late
1 hour, 14 mins late
November 2017 33 %
48 mins late
1 hour, 12 mins late
November 2018 32 %
1 hour, 14 mins late
1 hour, 48 mins late
November 2019 42 %
47 mins late
1 hour, 22 mins late
November 2020 54 %
39 mins late
1 hour, 25 mins late
November 2021 43 %
43 mins late
1 hour, 15 mins late
November 2022 40 %
53 mins late
1 hour, 29 mins late
November 2023 47 %
30 mins late
57 mins late
November 2024 46 %
41 mins late
1 hour, 16 mins late
November 2024 Train-by-Train Performance . . .
Auto Train .
California Zephyr .
Capitol Limited .
Cardinal .
Carolinian .
City of New Orleans .
Coast Starlight .
Crescent .
Empire Builder .
Floridian .
Lake Shore Limited .
Maple Leaf .
Palmetto .
Silver Meteor .
Silver Star .
Southwest Chief .
Sunset Limited .
Texas Eagle .
Vermonter .
COMPOSITE - (Long-DistanceTrains, November 2024)
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Year-to-Date Standings - Percentage On-Time Arrival
Train |
Pct on time arrival |
| City of New Orleans | 81 % |
| Sunset Limited | 61 % |
| Capitol Limited | 59 % |
| Lake Shore Limited | 58 % |
| Texas Eagle | 48 % |
| Auto Train | 47 % |
| Empire Builder | 47 % |
| California Zephyr | 46 % |
| Coast Starlight | 45 % |
| Crescent | 42 % |
| Maple Leaf | 37 % |
| .Cardinal | 33 % |
| Palmetto | 33 % |
| Vermonter | 32 % |
| Silver Meteor | 30 % |
| Silver Star | 24 % |
| Carolinian | 20 % |
| Southwest Chief | 19 % |
| Floridian | 16 % |
Year-to-Date Standings - Overall Average Arrival
Train |
Avg arrival when late |
| Lake Shore Limited | 16 mins late |
| City of New Orleans | 19 mins late |
| Maple Leaf | 19 mins late |
| Capitol Limited | 20 mins late |
| Vermonter | 23 mins late |
| Palmetto | 33 mins late |
| Crescent | 42 mins late |
| Sunset Limited | 47 mins late |
| Carolinian | 50 mins late |
| Auto Train | 52 mins late |
| Coast Starlight | 52 mins late |
| .Texas Eagle | 55 mins late |
| Cardinal | 55 mins late |
| Empire Builder | 56 mins late |
| Silver Meteor | 1 hour, 4 mins late |
| California Zephyr | 1 hour, 11 mins late |
| Silver Star | 1 hour, 14 mins late |
| Floridian | 1 hour, 29 mins late |
| Southwest Chief | 2 hours late |
Year-to-Date Standings - Average Arrival When Late
Train |
Avg arrival when late |
| Maple Leaf | 29 mins late |
| Vermonter | 34 mins late |
| Lake Shore Limited | 39 mins late |
| Capitol Limited | 49 mins late |
| Palmetto | 49 mins late |
| Carolinian | 1 hour, 3 mins late |
| Crescent | 1 hour, 13 mins late |
| Cardinal | 1 hour, 22 mins late |
| Silver Meteor | 1 hour, 30 mins late |
| Coast Starlight | 1 hour, 35 mins late |
| Auto Train | 1 hour, 38 mins late |
| .Silver Star | 1 hour, 38 mins late |
| City of New Orleans | 1 hour, 40 mins late |
| Texas Eagle | 1 hour, 46 mins late |
| Empire Builder | 1 hour, 46 mins late |
| Floridian | 1 hour, 46 mins late |
| Sunset Limited | 2 hours, 3 mins late |
| California Zephyr | 2 hours, 10 mins late |
| Southwest Chief | 2 hours, 29 mins late |