posted
I found the following site which will let you see a history of on time performance for any Amtrak train.
Punch in the city/town destination code (ex. SEA for Seattle or CHI for Chicago), train number, and number of weeks, back, to review the on-time history (1,2,3, or 4 weeks ago from the present).
I punched in CHI, 8, and 4 weeks for the on time performance of the Empire Builder into Chicago. It really gives you an idea of the lateness of #8 Eastbound. On the other hand, the on time performance of Coast Starlight train #14, into Seattle, has been impressive.
Richard
Posts: 1909 | From: Santa Rosa | Registered: Jan 2004
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posted
Amtrak's system-wide OTP has been bad lately. Anybody want to consider a conspiracy theory? The linked article points out that:
quote:you'll notice a clear dip between May and June of 2013. On-time performance fell from 83 percent to 76 percent between [May and June of 2013], and it's remained below the 80 percent-mark ever since.
What you're seeing is the aftermath of a U.S. Court of Appeals decision, issued July 2, 2013, that severely damaged Amtrak's leverage with the freight rail companies whose tracks it shares... In 2008, as part of the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act, Congress gave Amtrak the power to penalize these providers for giving dispatch priority to freight trains using the same routes. The July 2013 decision called an end to that power, and likewise triggered the start of Amtrak's on-time performance decline.
I doubt that the explanation is really that simple, but Amtrak has always battled with the host roads for access.
Posts: 831 | From: Seattle | Registered: Jan 2011
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