Amtrak Long-Distance Trains
Performance for First Half 2026
Forty-four percent of Amtrak's named long-distance trains arrived at their scheduled final destination on time or earlier in the first six months of 2026... The remaining trains, on average, arrived one hour and 20 minutes late.
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First Half 2026 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, First Half of 2026)
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Ten-Year First Half Comparison . . .
10-year comparison
Pct on-time arrival
Overall avg arrival
Ave arrival if late
January-June 2017
30 %
1 hour, 2 mins late
1 hour, 29 mins late
January-June 2018
32 %
1 hour, 3 mins late
1 hour, 33 mins late
January-June 2019
34 %
1 hour, 7 mins late
1 hour, 41 mins late
.January-June 2020
58 %
31 mins late
1 hour, 13 mins late
January-June 2021
42 %
53 mins late
1 hour, 32 mins late
January-June 2022
33 %
1 hour, 7 mins late
1 hour, 41 mins late
January-June 2023
42 %
52 mins late
1 hour, 29 mins late
January-June 2024
43 %
47 mins late
1 hour, 22 mins late
January-June 2025
41 %
51 mins late
1 hour, 27 mins late
January-June 2026
44 %
45 mins late
1 hour, 20 mins late
10-year composit average 40 %
54 mins late
1 hour, 29 mins late
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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.' 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.
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!)
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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