Amtrak Long-Distance Trains
Performance for April 2026
Forty-eight percent of Amtrak's named long-distance trains arrived at their scheduled final destination on time or earlier in April 2026... The remaining trains, on average, arrived 59 minutes late.
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This Month's Performance of Individual Trains . . . .
Auto Train .
California Zephyr .
Cardinal .
Carolinian .
City of New Orleans .
Coast Starlight .
Crescent .
Empire Builder .
Floridian .
Lake Shore Limited .
Maple Leaf .
Palmetto .
Silver Meteor .
Southwest Chief .
Sunset Limited .
Texas Eagle .
Vermonter .
COMPOSITE - (Long-DistanceTrains, Month of April 2026)
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Ten-Year Monthly Comparison for April . . .
10-year comparison
Pct on-time arrival
Overall avg arrival
Ave arrival if late
April 2017 31 %
52 mins late
1 hour, 16 mins late
April 2018 37 %
47 mins late
1 hour, 15 mins late
April 2019 37 %
53 mins late
1 hour, 24 mins late
.April 2020 68 %
20 mins late
1 hour late
April 2021 42 %
39 mins late
1 hour, 7 mins late
April 2022 29 %
59 mins late
1 hour, 24 mins late
April 2023 39 %
49 mins late
1 hour, 20 mins late
April 2024 40 %
50 mins late
1 hour, 22 mins late
April 2025 43 %
41 mins late
1 hour, 12 mins late
April 2026 48 %
31 mins late
59 mins late
10-year composit average 41 %
44 mins late
1 hour, 14 mins late
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2026 Year-to-Date Standings - Percentage On-Time Arrival
Train |
Pct on time arrival |
| Sunset Limited | 71 % |
| City of New Orleans | 70 % |
| California Zephyr | 69 % |
| Texas Eagle | 68 % |
| Crescent | 61 % |
| Coast Starlight | 60 % |
| Silver Meteor | 54 % |
| Auto Train | 53 % |
| Palmetto | 53 % |
| Lake Shore Limited | 51 % |
| Empire Builder | 50 % |
| Carolinian | 40 % |
| Vermonter | 39 % |
| .Southwest Chief | 29 % |
| Cardinal | 27 % |
| Floridian | 25 % |
| Maple Leaf | 20 % |
2026 Year-to-Date Standings - Overall Average Arrival
Train |
Overall Average Arrival |
| Vermonter | 12 mins late |
| Crescent | 17 mins late |
| Palmetto | 19 mins late |
| City of New Orleans | 21 mins late |
| Carolinian | 21 mins late |
| Sunset Limited | 29 mins late |
| Lake Shore Limited | 29 mins late |
| Maple Leaf | 30 mins late |
| Silver Meteor | 31 mins late |
| Texas Eagle | 32 mins late |
| Coast Starlight | 32 mins late |
| California Zephyr | 38 mins late |
| Auto Train | 39 mins late |
| Empire Builder | 55 mins late |
| Cardinal | 1 hour, 3 mins late |
| Floridian | 1 hour, 18 mins late |
| Southwest Chief | 1 hour, 24 mins late |
2026 Year-to-Date Standings - Average Arrival When Late
Train
Average Arrival When Late
Vermonter 19 mins late
Carolinian 35 mins late
Maple Leaf 37 mins late
Palmetto 40 mins late
Crescent 44 mins late
Lake Shore Limited 1 hour, 1 min late
Silver Meteor 1 hour, 8 mins late
City of New Orleans 1 hour, 11 mins late
Coast Starlight 1 hour, 21 mins late
Auto Train 1 hour, 23 mins late
Cardinal 1 hour, 26 mins late
Texas Eagle 1 hour, 40 mins late
Sunset Limited 1 hour, 41 mins late
Floridian 1 hour, 43 mins late
Empire Builder 1 hour, 51 mins late
Southwest Chief 1 hour, 59 mins late
California Zephyr 2 hours, 2 mins late
ABOUT THESE REPORTS:
This is strictly a 'statistical study.' It harmonizes actual performance into an average, and is intended to evaluate operation of the respective trains over their particular route in a specified period. The performance of each train on a specific run is a single statistic within itself. Always consider traveling by Amtrak as an adventure! . . . (Anything can happen!)
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.' The Bull Sheet considers that long-distance trains have sufficient padding in their schedule to offset typical en route delays, and it is not necessary to apply a grace allowance on top of that padding to bolster the presumption of on-time reporting. Accordingly, these reports offer a more realistic analysis than what is routinely reported by Amtrak.
No consideration is given to the impact of late departures from originating points impacting subsequent late arrivals at destination, and not for any time advanced during that run following late origination. Again, calculations refer solely to arrival at final terminal.
Data apply only to final destination, not to intermediate stops. Moreover, it does not identify causes for delay, or to statistically apply responsibility to any of the host carriers involved en route.
Trains that are truncated, annulled, originated or terminated at an en route station, or reported with incomplete or ambiguous data are excluded from the survey.
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