Passenger Trains > Acela / Metroliner On-time Rates for October

Here are the on time statistics for the Acela and Metroliner operations in October.

For more detailed statistics, see the first reply.

Acela

Boston to New York
Oct-03; 64.8%
Sep-03; 68.7%
Year to date 2003; 62.7%
12 Months ending Oct-03; 64.3%

New York to Boston
Oct-03; 66.4%
Sep-03; 57.1%
Year to date 2003; 60.3%
12 Months ending Oct-03; 61.3%

New York to Washington
Oct-03; 58.6%
Sep-03; 62.6%
Year to date 2003; 61.6%
12 Months ending Oct-03; 63.1%

Washington to New York
Oct-03; 75.4%
Sep-03; 67.7%
Year to date 2003; 76.1%
12 Months ending Oct-03; 77.3%

All Acela
Oct-03; 66.4%
Sep-03; 64.2%
Year to date 2003; 65.6%
12 Months ending Oct-03; 66.9%


Metroliner

New York to Washington
Oct-03; 84.6%
Sep-03; 77.3%
Year to date 2003; 86.0%
12 Months ending Oct-03; 86.2%

Washington to New York
Oct-03; 84.2%
Sep-03; 77.2%
Year to date 2003; 85.3%
12 Months ending Oct-03; 85.7%

All Metroliner
Oct-03; 84.4%
Sep-03; 77.2%
Year to date 2003; 85.6%
12 Months ending Oct-03; 86.0%

The fine print: The NYC/WAS and NYC/BOS city pairs are each counted separately. Through trains between Washington and Boston are counted as two trains. On-time is arrival early, on-schedule, or up to 14 minutes behind schedule (DOT Airline Reporting Criteria). Data is from the Amtrak.com train status feature.

Here are the detailed stats for Acela and Metroliner in October 2003.

Acela

Boston to New York: Acela: DOT on time rate: 64.8%
Trains scheduled: 250
On-schedule or early: 30 [12.0%]
1 to 14 minutes behind schedule: 132 [52.8%]
15 to 29 minutes behind schedule: 67 [26.8%]
30 to 59 minutes behind schedule: 18 [7.2%]
60 or more minutes behind schedule: 1 [0.4%]
Cancelled: 2 [0.8%]
Average time from scheduled departure to actual arrival: 3hr., 40min.
Average deviation from scheduled arrival: 12.2min. late

New York to Boston: Acela: DOT on time rate: 66.4%
Trains scheduled: 250
On-schedule or early: 50 [20.0%]
1 to 14 minutes behind schedule: 116 [46.4%]
15 to 29 minutes behind schedule: 45 [18.0%]
30 to 59 minutes behind schedule: 31 [12.4%]
60 or more minutes behind schedule: 6 [2.4%]
Cancelled: 2 [0.8%]
Average time from scheduled departure to actual arrival: 3hr., 45min.
Average deviation from scheduled arrival: 13.2min. late

New York to Washington: Acela: DOT on time rate: 58.6%
Trains scheduled: 321
On-schedule or early: 31 [9.7%]
1 to 14 minutes behind schedule: 157 [48.9%]
15 to 29 minutes behind schedule: 75 [23.4%]
30 to 59 minutes behind schedule: 51 [15.9%]
60 or more minutes behind schedule: 4 [1.2%]
Cancelled: 3 [0.9%]
Average time from scheduled departure to actual arrival: 3hr., 2min.
Average deviation from scheduled arrival: 15.6min. late

Washington to New York: Acela Express: DOT on time rate: 75.4%
Trains scheduled: 321
On-schedule or early: 57 [17.8%]
1 to 14 minutes behind schedule: 185 [57.6%]
15 to 29 minutes behind schedule: 54 [16.8%]
30 to 59 minutes behind schedule: 19 [5.9%]
60 or more minutes behind schedule: 2 [0.6%]
Cancelled: 4 [1.2%]
Average time from scheduled departure to actual arrival: 2hr., 56min.
Average deviation from scheduled arrival: 9.6min. late

All Acela Express: DOT on time rate: 66.4%
Trains scheduled: 1142
On-schedule or early: 168 [14.7%]
1 to 14 minutes behind schedule: 590 [51.7%]
15 to 29 minutes behind schedule: 241 [21.1%]
30 to 59 minutes behind schedule: 119 [10.4%]
60 or more minutes behind schedule: 13 [1.1%]
Cancelled: 11 [1.0%]
Average deviation from scheduled arrival: 12.6min. late


Metroliner

New York to Washington: Metroliner: DOT on time rate: 84.6%
Trains scheduled: 149
On-schedule or early: 61 [40.9%]
1 to 14 minutes behind schedule: 65 [43.6%]
15 to 29 minutes behind schedule: 19 [12.8%]
30 to 59 minutes behind schedule: 3 [2.0%]
60 or more minutes behind schedule: 1 [0.7%]
Cancelled: 0 [0.0%]
Average time from scheduled departure to actual arrival: 3hr., 7min.
Average deviation from scheduled arrival: 5.2min. late

Washington to New York: Metroliner: DOT on time rate: 84.2%
Trains scheduled: 158
On-schedule or early: 78 [49.4%]
1 to 14 minutes behind schedule: 55 [34.8%]
15 to 29 minutes behind schedule: 17 [10.8%]
30 to 59 minutes behind schedule: 4 [2.5%]
60 or more minutes behind schedule: 0 [0.0%]
Cancelled: 4 [2.5%]
Average time from scheduled departure to actual arrival: 3hr., 3min.
Average deviation from scheduled arrival: 3.6min. late

All Metroliner: DOT on time rate: 84.4%
Trains scheduled: 307
On-schedule or early: 139 [45.3%]
1 to 14 minutes behind schedule: 120 [39.1%]
15 to 29 minutes behind schedule: 36 [11.7%]
30 to 59 minutes behind schedule: 7 [2.3%]
60 or more minutes behind schedule: 1 [0.3%]
Cancelled: 4 [1.3%]
Average deviation from scheduled arrival: 4.4min. late


The fine print: The NYC/WAS and NYC/BOS city pairs are each counted separately. Through trains between Washington and Boston are counted as two trains. The Department of Transportation (DOT) on-time calculation I apply here is the same standard the DOT requires for airline reporting. Trains up to 14 minutes late are considered on-time for the DOT calculation. If you add the "On-time or early"; and the "1 to 14 minutes late" percentages, you will get the DOT on-time number (within rounding tolerance). Cancelled trains include all runs that either never operated or did not reach the endpoint destination (BOS, NYC, or WAS). Cancelled trains are not factored into the average trip or deviation calculation (DOT Airline Reporting Criteria). Data is from the amtrak.com Train Status feature.

Thanks, prr60 for this info.

I hope people notice that on a percentage basis, MORE Metroliners were cancelled than Accela's.

I think the time is arriving when we can dropp the myth that Acela is unreliable.

floridajoe2001 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Thanks, prr60 for this info.
>
> I hope people notice that on a percentage basis,
> MORE Metroliners were cancelled than Accela's.
>
> I think the time is arriving when we can dropp
> the myth that Acela is unreliable.


This issue isn't so much that the Acela trains are unreliable (i.e. experience a high level of on-the-road failures), but that the service itself is unreliable in that most trains don't arrive at their end points at the published time. The trains are clearly "high maintenance", but I haven't experienced or seen stats to indicate that they're failing en route any more than any other equipment.

floridajoe2001 Wrote:

> I hope people notice that on a percentage basis,
> MORE Metroliners were cancelled than Accela's.
>
> I think the time is arriving when we can dropp
> the myth that Acela is unreliable.

Only 64% delayed less than 15 minutes is supposed to be "reliable"?

I think it's time we drop the pretense that railfans live
in the real world.

I don't know if Amtrak keeps states on this, but I'd bet that more of Acela's delays are due to congestion than equipment malfunctions. This is espcially so on Metro North between New Haven and New Rochelle.

Boston to NY Penn comparison

The difference on an Acela Express versus Regional service is 35 minutes faster on the XP, and $37 more expensive. If the XP is LIKELY to be 20 minutes late, why paid the extra $37?

Amtrak's already realized it can't charge a premium fare for a non-premium service, that's very rational. My assistant got an internet fare of $27.50 one way to Boston on Acela XP late this morning and $37 back next Monday afternoon

Lackawanna484 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> > Boston to NY Penn comparison
>
> The difference on an Acela Express versus
> Regional service is 35 minutes faster on the XP,
> and $37 more expensive. If the XP is LIKELY to be
> 20 minutes late, why paid the extra $37?
>
> Amtrak's already realized it can't charge a
> premium fare for a non-premium service, that's
> very rational. My assistant got an internet fare
> of $27.50 one way to Boston on Acela XP late this
> morning and $37 back next Monday afternoon
>
>
Of course regional service only posts a 79% on time average - 10 points better than Acela for sure, but no guarantee that delta between Acela and regional travel times will be reduced.

Dave