ON TIME PERFORMANCE 9/10/04 THROUGH 10/9/04

Results for the most recent period are:

TOTAL TRAINS = 987

ON TIME = 241 (24%)

LATE = 746 (76%)

AVERAGE DELAY = 1' 01"

Only schedulled arrival times were used; no "grace" period was allowed.

Of the late trains:

298 (40%) were 29" or less late;
188 (25%) were 30" to 59" late;
160 (21%) were 1' to 2' late;
90 (12%) were more than 2' late; and
10 (1+%) had no arrival time shown.

BY ROUTE, WITH ON-TIME % AND AVERAGE DELAY:

CAPITOL LIMITED
#29 - 7% - 1' 33" #30 - 11% - 2' 23"

THREE RIVERS
#41 - 25% - 1' 05" #40 - 14% - 1' 15"

PENNSYLVANIAN
(W) - 18% - 49" (E) - 7% - 45"

LAKE SHORE LIMITED
#49 - 7% - 1' 40" #48 - 7% - 2' 03"

LAKE SHORE LIMITED (BOSTON / ALBANY)
#449 - 13% - 49" #448 - 0% - 1' 57"

CITY OF NEW ORLEANS
#59 - 81% - 51" #58 - 55% - 37"

CRESCENT (WAS)
#19 - 20% - 1' 17" #20 - 73% - 1' 24"

DETROIT CORRIDOR
(W) - 16% - 44" (E) - 23% - 30"

ST. LOUIS CORRIDOR
(W) - 49% - 33" (E) - 26% - 50"

SYRACUSE CORRIDOR
(W) - 24% - 39" (E) - 16% - 1' 03"


Reduced number of trains was due to annulments caused by weather conditions and by the tunnel fire at NYP.

The best performing couplet was the City of New Orleans.

Services showing improvement in increased OTP and reduced average delay included both directions of the Capitol Limited, Pennsylvanian, St. Louis Corridor, and Syracuse Corridor; also, the northbound City of New Orleans.

Norfolk Southern is as yet unable to equalize the performance of both directions of the Crescent, and the Detroit Corridor has again failed to show improvement.

Of the trains more than 2' late, the Lake Shore Limited accounted for 33, the Capitol Limited for 18, and the Three Rivers for 9, for a total of 60 out of 90 (67%).

Of the 15 times that the westbound Capitol or Lake Shore departed Cleveland on time, NS failed to achieve a single on-time arrival at Chicago. The westbound trains failed to make their running times on 43
trips between Cleveland and Chicago, and the eastbound trains on 38 trips.

On the eastbound St. Louis Corridor, #22 Texas Eagle and #304 had a combined total of 26 dates on which they departed St. Louis on-time with 0 on-time arrivals at Chicago.

The number of trains departing their initial terminals so late that an on-time arrival at the final terminal was not possible continued to decline, with 54 in the current period.

The difference in performance of the Boston section of the Lake Shore is puzzling as there have been no significant delays in the departure of #449 from Boston, but #448 made the running time eastbound on 16 of 30 trips despite widely varying departures due to the late arrivals in Albany from Chicago.

All for this time. We will see what effects the changes in the forthcoming timetable will have in the next period.

I took the Lakeshore# 448 from Utica (UCA) to Boston (BBY) on Saturday, 10/9. The train was 4' 39" late arriving in Utica (3:00PM). I understand there was a freight derailment somewhere west of Ft. Wayne, Indiana. Arrival in Boston was exactly 5' late (11:15PM).
Return trip yesterday was acceptable. Train# 449. Leave Boston @ 12:00 (Noon), arrive in Utica @ 8:15PM. 30" late. CSX was working on the tracks in Mass & there was a problem with the rear sleeper that needed to be attended to in Schnectady.

uticajack,

The derailment was in the vicinity of Fairlane (CP-216) between Cleveland and Toledo. Caught both the eastbounds and westbounds for about 4'.
Don't have the details, and the derailment didn't make the local news.

why is the lake shore limited always late coming from NY?

There seem to be only minor delays arriving at ALB from NYP. Major delays start at ALB due to the late arrival of #449 from BOS and to congestion in the station, especially if #48 arrives in the same time span.

#49 has about a 30% on-time arrival in SYR as part of the measurement for that corridor. Beyond there, it seems to be a matter of either CSX sticking the train between SYR and CLE, or NS doing it between CLE and CHI. While a small number of the delays are unavoidable or due to third party interference, the majority come from dispatching the trains in such a manner that they cannot make their running time. In many instances, dispatchers whom I know have said that they are making the "wrong" moves when handling Amtrak, but they are doing exactly what they have been instructed to do. In other words, both CSX and NS have not shown any commitment to expediting Amtrak trains over this route.

Keep in mind that when #49 or #29 leave CLE on time and arrive in CHI late, they have also "burned up" the padding (the time over and above the actual running time) which is in the schedule.

You can find similar examples on most of the other routes reviewed.

shlustig,
Thanks for the info on the derailment. We talked with a woman that borded in Ft. Wayne & she said the train was late into the station there too. Probably holding west of Ft. Wayne for traffic to clear.
I failed to mention that CSX was working on the tracks east of Fonda, NY restricting the two tracks to one. We had to wait on 2 westbound freights to pass before proceeding east on Saturday. That's where the extra 30'' came from. However, Albany seemed to take forever to get the trains split and moving again.

Jack

uticajack,

If #48 went via Ft. Wayne, that was a detour movement. Normal route for the Lake shore and the Capitol is via Elkhart / South Bend.

shlustig,
Once again, thanks for the info. The woman we spoke to said that she boarded in Ft. Wayne. I do not know the rail movements in the midwest & had no reason to doubt her. Maybe I had better brush up on my Amtrak station stops.

Jack