BNSF and UP testing longer schedules for Southwest Chief, California Zephyr, and Texas Eagle

WASHINGTON — Nearly four years after new federal on-time performance standards went into effect, Amtrak is nearing agreements with BNSF Railway and Union Pacific for certification of disputed train schedules.

Some 95% of Amtrak train schedules have been certified under the federal Metrics and Minimum Standards for Intercity Passenger Service rule, according to the latest data tabulated by the Federal Railroad Administration. Four percent of Amtrak’s 985 schedules – or 40 trains – were in limbo as “disputed.” Nine Amtrak trains, all operating on Metro-North Railroad, are the only schedules that remain “uncertified.”

Amtrak and host railroads adjusted the schedules of some certified trains as part of an effort to have them meet the new requirement that at least 80% of passengers on a route arrive on time at their respective stations.

The law has not made trains run on time: The performance of Amtrak’s three major network components — the Northeast Corridor, state-supported routes, and the long-distance trains — has been below 80% for the first six months of 2024 and the last six months of 2023, according to FRA data.

BNSF and Amtrak are testing slightly longer schedules for the Southwest Chief, and have adopted schedules for a pair of Cascades trains. Once the Southwest Chief schedules are finalized, all Amtrak trains operating on BNSF will have certified schedules.

“Following the final rule in November 2020, BNSF and Amtrak have certified nearly all Amtrak train schedules that operate on BNSF. BNSF and Amtrak continue to discuss and collaborate on the remaining six train schedules that have yet to be certified,” BNSF spokesman Zak Andersen says. “Four of the six trains did not operate during the pandemic and have been restored, with recently adjusted schedule times in late 2023. The other two trains began a pilot schedule last month for BNSF and Amtrak to evaluate the new schedule and determine if further adjustments are necessary in advance of certification. BNSF regularly meets with Amtrak to discuss train schedules, performance, and steps towards certification.”

The Southwest Chief’s schedule now includes 22 minutes of added recovery time, Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari says.

UP and Amtrak are testing slightly longer schedules for the Texas Eagle as well as the California Zephyr west of Denver. If approved, the deals will mean the only disputed schedule remaining on UP involves the Sunset Limited. The Surface Transportation Board is currently reviewing the on-time performance case that Amtrak filed against UP in December 2022.

“For California Zephyr, we added 47 minutes for Train 5 and 34 minutes on Train 6,” Magliari says. “Both are a combination of pure running time, recovery time, and dwell, with recovery accounting for most of the minutes, then dwell.”

The Texas Eagle’s schedules gained recovery time, including 24 minutes for train 21 and 14 minutes for train 22, Magliari says.

“Ninety-eight of the 104 Amtrak trains that run on Union Pacific’s tracks have been successfully certified. Since April 2024, Amtrak and Union Pacific have agreed to run pilot schedules for four of the six non-certified schedules — two for the California Zephyr and two for the Texas Eagle. We are meeting regularly with Amtrak to review the pilot results,” UP spokeswoman Robynn Tysver says.

“Both Sunset Limited schedules are non-certified and before the Surface Transportation Board. The Sunset Route is a critical Union Pacific artery, and it is essential that Union Pacific and Amtrak collaborate to design schedules that are reasonable and achievable,” she says.

The Southwest Chief, California Zephyr, and Texas Eagle are considered pilot schedules, Magliari says, which allows the host railroads or Amtrak to decide to revert back to the prior schedules.

Canadian National‘s disputed schedules include the City of New Orleans, four Illini/Saluki trains, and the Adirondack in Quebec. CN has proposed new schedules and is awaiting a response from Amtrak, according to a CN spokeswoman.

Half of the disputed schedules involve Amtrak trains on Norfolk Southern, primarily those operating in and out of Chicago. They include: two Blue Water trains, the Capitol Limited, Cardinal, Lake Shore Limited, two Pere Marquette trains, and six Wolverine trains. Also under dispute: two Piedmont trains and the Silver Star.

A Norfolk Southern spokeswoman referred disputed schedule questions to Amtrak, which said no pilot schedule programs are currently in the works for passenger trains that NS hosts.

The Justice Department this month filed a right-of-preference lawsuit against Norfolk Southern for its handling of the Crescent, the first such case brought since 1979 and only the second since 1973, when freight railroads were first required to give priority to Amtrak trains. The Crescent’s schedule was certified and included longer transit times and increased on-time incentive payments from Amtrak.

Disputed and uncertified schedules are still subject to the on-time performance standards.

The only Amtrak trains currently operating with uncertified schedules are six Empire Corridor trains operating on Metro North Railroad’s Hudson Line, as well as three Acela schedules on its New Haven Line.

Meeting the federal minimum customer on-time performance standards has been a challenge.

Over the 12-month period ending in June, overall Amtrak system on-time performance was 75.1%, according to FRA data. Northeast Corridor routes posted 79.1% customer on-time performance, and even Acela railed to meet the 80% standard. State-supported routes were 76.1% on time overall. And none of Amtrak’s 15 long-distance trains met the standard. Overall, the long-distance network on-time performance was 56.9% over the past 12 months.