This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
4/20/2023
Amtrak's Sunset Limited passenger-rail route continues to perform below acceptable on-time standards, highlighting the "urgent need" for an investigation, the railroad said in an April 18 filing with the Surface Transportation Board.
In December 2022, Amtrak asked the STB to investigate why host railroad practices, primarily at Union Pacific Railroad, are contributing to substandard on-time performance of Sunset Limited trains in the southwestern United States.
The trains' substandard customer on-time performance (COTP) warrants an investigation by the STB because it fell below 80% for two consecutive calendar quarters, Amtrak explained. The passenger railroad also stated that COTP on the route was unacceptably low for at least four consecutive calendar quarters, extending across all of fiscal-year 2022.
On March 13, Amtrak gave the STB a status report that showed COTP on the route remained substandard during Q1 of fiscal-year 2023. In its filing with the STB earlier this week, the railroad said its data for Q2 of FY2023 "underscores the need for an expeditious board investigation and remediation of the Sunset's continuing substandard on-time performance."
In the second quarter, the route's Train 1 registered 45% COTP; Train 2 registered 38%.
"These figures are still nowhere close to meeting the applicable COTP standard," Amtrak said in the filing.