Quarterly Report on the 

Performance and Service Quality of 

Intercity Passenger Train Operations

Covering the Quarter Ending June 2021

(Third Quarter of Fiscal Year 2021)

Federal Railroad Administration

U.S. Department of Transportation
Quarterly Report on Performance and Service Quality of Intercity Passenger Train Operations

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Quarterly Report on Performance and Service Quality of Intercity Passenger Train Operations

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Contents 

Page

I. Introduction ................................................................................................................................3

II. Summary of Metrics and Standards ...........................................................................................4

III. Amtrak Route Structure and Descriptions .................................................................................6

IV. Quarterly Reporting Tables ........................................................................................................9

A. On-Time Performance and Train Delays......................................................................... 9

B. Customer Service ........................................................................................................... 14

C. Financial ......................................................................................................................... 15

D. Public Benefits ............................................................................................................... 17
Quarterly Report on Performance and Service Quality of Intercity Passenger Train Operations

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Abbreviations, Acronyms, and Phrases in this Report

C.F.R. Code of Federal Regulations 

FRA Federal Railroad Administration

FY Fiscal Year (October 1 to September 30) 

NEC Northeast Corridor, rail line between Boston, Massachusetts, and Washington, 

D.C.

OTP On-Time Performance

P.L. Public Law

PRIIA Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008, P.L. 110-432 

MSA Metropolitan Statistical Area

U.S.C. United States Code 

U.S. DOT United States Department of Transportation
Quarterly Report on Performance and Service Quality of Intercity Passenger Train Operations

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I. Introduction

This report responds to Section 207 of the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 

2008, Pub. L. 110-432, 122 Stat. 4907 (PRIIA) that requires the Federal Railroad Administrator 

to collect the necessary data and publish a quarterly report on the performance and service 

quality of intercity passenger train operations, including Amtrak’s cost recovery, ridership, ontime performance, minutes of delay, causes of delay, onboard services, stations, facilities, 

equipment, and other services. 

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) published a final rule on November 16, 2020 (see 49 

C.F.R 273) that established metrics and minimum standards for measuring the performance and 

service quality of intercity passenger train operations. Consistent with the rule (preamble section 

IV), this first quarterly report covers the first full calendar quarter 3 months after the publication 

of the final rule in the Federal Register, which is the third quarter (Q3) of Federal fiscal year

(FY) 2021, running from April 1, 2021, to June 30, 2021. 

This report provides an overview of the metrics and standards established in FRA’s final rule, a 

description of Amtrak’s route structure, and metrics reporting tables for the third quarter of FY 

2021. Additional information about the final rule and the supporting data files are available at 

FRA’s website: https://railroads.dot.gov/passenger-rail/amtrak/intercity-passenger-rail-servicequality-and-performance-reports.

The Q3 report includes most, but not all, of the established metrics: train delays, train delays per 

10,000 train miles, customer service, and financial metrics. The customer on-time performance 

(except for disputed schedules), station performance, and host running time metrics will be 

included in FY 2021fourth quarter (Q4) report covering July 1 to September 30, 2021. Customer 

on-time performance for all schedules and public benefits metrics will be included in the FY 

2022 first quarter (Q1) report covering October 1 to December 31, 2021. 

FRA is pleased to publish this first report and set of quarterly data using the metrics established 

in 2020. Standardized, consistent reporting will provide key stakeholders, including host 

railroads, Congress, and the Surface Transportation Board (STB), along with Amtrak’s 

customers and the general public a way to measure the performance of intercity passenger train 

operations. 
Quarterly Report on Performance and Service Quality of Intercity Passenger Train Operations

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II. Summary of Metrics and Standards

49 C.F.R. Part 273 establishes metrics and minimum standards for measuring the performance 

and service quality of intercity passenger train operations in four categories: on-time 

performance (OTP) and train delays, customer service, financial, and public benefits. FRA will 

publish quarterly reports on the metrics and minimum standards according to the reporting 

structure established in the final rule. Certain metrics are not included in this first quarterly report 

but will be published in subsequent quarterly reports. See Table 1 for a summary of the metrics 

and reporting schedule. 

Table 1. Metrics Summary and Reporting Schedule

Category Metric First Period 

Reported

Summary Description

OTP & 

Delays

Customer OTP 

(except disputed 

schedules) 1

July 1 –

September 

30, 2021

Standard: 80% for two consecutive quarters

Percentage of all customers on an intercity passenger rail 

train who arrive at their detraining point no later than 15 

minutes after their published scheduled arrival time

Ridership data Prior Month Number of host railroads to whom Amtrak has provided 

host-specific ridership data

Certified schedules Prior Month Number of certified schedules, uncertified schedules, and 

disputed schedules

Train delays April 1 –

June 30, 2021

Minutes of delay for all Amtrak-responsible delays, hostresponsible delays, and third-party delays, reported by 

delay code. 

Train delays per 

10K train miles

April 1 –

June 30, 2021

Minutes of delay per 10,000 train miles for all Amtrakresponsible and host-responsible delays

Station performance July 1 –

September 

30, 2021

Number of detraining passengers, the number of late 

passengers, and the average minutes late that late 

customers arrive at their detraining stations

Host running time July 1 –

September 

30, 2021

Average actual running time and the median actual 

running time compared with the scheduled running time 

between the first and final reporting points for a host 

railroad set forth in the Amtrak schedule skeleton

Customer 

Service

Customer 

satisfaction

April 1 –

June 30, 2021

Percent of respondents who provided a score of 70 percent 

or greater for their “overall satisfaction” on a 100-point 

scale for their most recent trip, shown both adjusted for 

performance and unadjusted

Amtrak personnel April 1 –

June 30, 2021

Average score from respondents for their overall review of 

Amtrak personnel

Information given April 1 –

June 30, 2021

Average score from respondents for their overall review of 

information provided by Amtrak

1 If a schedule is disputed, FRA will report customer OTP metric data, station performance metric data, and host 

running time metric data for that particular train, beginning with the quarter covering October 1 to December 31, 

2021.
Quarterly Report on Performance and Service Quality of Intercity Passenger Train Operations

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Category Metric First Period 

Reported

Summary Description

On-board comfort April 1 –

June 30, 2021

Average score from respondents for their overall review of 

on-board comfort

On-board 

cleanliness

April 1 –

June 30, 2021

Average score from respondents for their overall review of 

on-board cleanliness

On-board food 

service

April 1 –

June 30, 2021

Average score from respondents for their overall review of 

on-board food service

Financial Cost recovery April 1 –

June 30, 2021

Amtrak’s adjusted operating revenue divided by Amtrak’s 

adjusted operating expense

Avoidable operating 

costs covered by 

passenger revenue

April 1 –

June 30, 2021

Percent of avoidable operating costs divided by passenger 

revenue for each route, shown with and without State 

operating payments

Fully allocated costs 

covered by 

passenger revenue

April 1 –

June 30, 2021

Percent of fully allocated core operating costs divided by 

passenger revenue for each route, shown with and without 

State operating payments

Average ridership April 1 –

June 30, 2021

Number of passenger-miles divided by train-miles for each 

route

Total ridership April 1 –

June 30, 2021

Total number of passengers

Public 

Benefits

Connectivity October 1 –

December 31, 

2021

Percent of passengers connecting to and from other 

Amtrak routes

Missed connections October 1 –

December 31, 

2021

Percent of passengers connecting to/from other Amtrak 

routes who missed connections due to a late arrival from 

another Amtrak train

Community access October 1 –

December 31, 

2021

Percent of Amtrak passenger-trips to and from not wellserved communities

Service availability October 1 –

December 31, 

2021

Total number of daily Amtrak trains per 100,000 residents 

in a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) for each of the top 

100 MSAs in the United States, shown in total and adjusted 

for time of day
Quarterly Report on Performance and Service Quality of Intercity Passenger Train Operations

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III. Amtrak Route Structure and Descriptions

Amtrak provides intercity passenger rail service across the nation, serving more than 500 

destinations in 46 states. Amtrak has three operating service lines: Northeast Corridor (NEC), 

which provides service between Boston, MA, and Washington, DC; State-Supported, which 

provides service on corridor routes of not more than 750 miles through cost-sharing agreements 

with State Partners; and Long Distance, which includes all routes over 750 miles nationwide. 

See Table 2 for a description of the service lines and routes. 

Table 2. Route Descriptions

Service 

Line

Route Name Sub Service Route Description

Northeast 

Corridor

Acela Express Acela Express Between Boston, New York (Penn Station), and 

Washington, DC

Northeast Regional On Spine 

Northeast 

Regional

Between Boston, Springfield, New Haven, New York 

(Penn Station), and Washington, DC

StateSupported Capitol Corridor Capitol CorridorBetween Auburn, Oakland Coliseum, Oakland (Jack 

London Square Station), and San Jose

Carolinian Carolinian Between Charlotte, NC and New York (Penn Station)

Cascades Cascades Between Eugene, Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver

Downeaster Downeaster

Between Boston (North Station), Portland, and 

Brunswick, ME

Empire

Ethan Allen 

Express Between New York (Penn Station) and Rutland, VT

Empire Maple Leaf Between New York (Penn Station) and Toronto

Empire

New York -

Albany Between New York (Penn Station) and Albany, NY

Empire

New York -

Niagara Falls Between New York (Penn Station) and Niagara Falls

Heartland Flyer Heartland Flyer Between Fort Worth, TX and Oklahoma City, OK

Hiawatha Hiawatha Between Chicago and Milwaukee, WI

Illinois

Carl Sandburg / 

Illinois Zephyr Between Chicago and Quincy, IL

Illinois Illini / Saluki Between Chicago and Carbondale

Illinois Lincoln Service Between Chicago and St. Louis

Keystone Keystone

Between Harrisburg, PA, Philadelphia, and New York 

(Penn Station)

Michigan Blue Water Between Chicago and Port Huron

Michigan Pere Marquette Between Chicago and Grand Rapids

Michigan Wolverine Between Chicago and Pontiac

Missouri Missouri Between Kansas City and St. Louis

Northeast Regional

Richmond / 

Newport News / 

Norfolk

Between Norfolk, Newport News, Richmond, New 

York (Penn Station) and Boston

Northeast Regional Roanoke Between Lynchburg/Roanoke, VA and Boston
Quarterly Report on Performance and Service Quality of Intercity Passenger Train Operations

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Service 

Line

Route Name Sub Service Route Description

Northeast Regional

Springfield 

Shuttles Between New Haven, CT, and Springfield, MA

Pacific Surfliner Pacific Surfliner

Between San Luis Obispo, Goleta, Los Angeles, and 

San Diego, CA

Pennsylvanian Pennsylvanian Between New York (Penn Station) and Pittsburgh

Piedmont Piedmont Between Charlotte and Raleigh, NC

San Joaquins San Joaquins

Between Bakersfield, Oakland (Jack London Square 

Station), and Sacramento, CA

Vermonter Vermonter Between St. Albans, VT, and Washington, DC

Long 

Distance

Auto Train Auto Train Between Lorton, VA, and Sanford, FL

California Zephyr California Zephyr Between Chicago and Emeryville, CA

Capitol Ltd Capitol Ltd Between Chicago and Washington, DC

Cardinal Cardinal

Between Chicago and New York (Penn Station) via 

Cincinnati

City Of New 

Orleans

City Of New 

Orleans

Between New York (Penn Station) and New Orleans

Coast Starlight Coast Starlight Between Los Angeles and Seattle

Crescent Crescent Between New York (Penn Station) and New Orleans

Empire Builder Empire Builder Between Chicago, Portland, and Seattle

Lake Shore Ltd Lake Shore Ltd

Between Chicago, New York (Penn Station), and 

Boston via Cleveland and Buffalo

Palmetto Palmetto Between New York (Penn Station) and Savannah, GA

Silver Meteor Silver Meteor

Between New York (Penn Station) and Miami via 

Charleston, SC

Silver Star Silver Star

Between New York (Penn Station) and Miami via 

Columbia, SC

Southwest Chief Southwest Chief Between Chicago and Los Angeles

Sunset Ltd Sunset Ltd Between Los Angeles and New Orleans

Texas Eagle Texas Eagle Between Chicago and San Antonio

For some routes, Amtrak reports operational (train performance) data differently than it reports 

financial or ridership data. In some State-supported service arrangements, a State, under a 

contractual agreement with Amtrak, will provide financial support for a portion of a larger route. 

Amtrak has two route hierarchies within its reporting systems to account for these arrangements.

The first route hierarchy is used to track the physical versions of the routes on the network. This 

hierarchy includes the entire physical train that moves between its origin and ultimate 

destination. The second hierarchy, financial routes, are a financial construction in Amtrak’s 

accounting that breaks the physical train up into the Amtrak-supported portion of the route and 

State-supported portion of the route. These financial routes exist to allocate financials between 

the State-supported segment and the Amtrak-Supported segment for various accounting 

purposes. See Table 3 for a summary of where financial routes may be different from physical 

routes. 
Quarterly Report on Performance and Service Quality of Intercity Passenger Train Operations

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In this quarterly report, all OTP and train delay metrics will be reported using the physical route 

structure (Table 2), and financial and customer service metrics will be reported using the 

financial route structure (Table 3). 

Table 3. Financial Routes Descriptions Different than Physical Routes

Route Physical Route Financial Route

Adirondack New York, NY – Montreal, 

Canada

New York, NY – Albany, NY

(Empire Service)

Albany, NY – Montreal, Canada

(Adirondack Service)

Carolinian Washington, DC – New York, 

NY

Charlotte, NC – Washington, DC

Cascades Eugene, OR – Vancouver, WA Eugene – Portland, OR 

(Oregon Service)

Portland, OR – Vancouver, WA 

(Washington Service)

Empire West / 

Maple Leaf

New York, NY – Niagara Falls, 

NY

New York – Albany, NY (Empire 

Service)

Albany – Niagara Falls, NY 

(Empire West/Maple Leaf 

Service)

Ethan Allen New York, NY – Rutland, VT New York – Albany, NY (Empire 

Service)

Albany, NY – Rutland, VT

(Ethan Allen Service)

Keystone Philadelphia, PA – New York, 

NY

Harrisburg – Philadelphia, PA

Lynchburg Washington, DC – New Haven, 

CT/Boston, MA

Lynchburg, VA – Washington, 

DC

Newport News Washington, DC – New Haven, 

CT/Boston, MA 

Newport News, VA –

Washington, DC 

Norfolk Washington, DC – New Haven, 

CT/Boston, MA

Norfolk, VA – Washington, DC

Springfield Shuttles Washington, DC – New Haven, 

CT/Boston, MA

New Haven, CT – Springfield, 

MA

Pennsylvanian Philadelphia, PA – New York, 

NY

Pittsburgh – Philadelphia, PA

Richmond Washington, DC – New Haven, 

CT/Boston, MA 

Richmond, VA – Washington, 

DC

Vermonter Washington, DC – New Haven, 

CT 

New Haven, CT – Springfield, 

MA; Springfield, MA – St. 

Albans, VT
Quarterly Report on Performance and Service Quality of Intercity Passenger Train Operations

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IV. Quarterly Reporting Tables

This section includes definitions of each of the metrics and any associated standard. There are also 

descriptions of the reported data for each metric, including definitions of key terms, and other 

notes as needed. To access the data files, please visit: https://railroads.dot.gov/passengerrail/amtrak/intercity-passenger-rail-service-quality-and-performance-reports.

The following services did not operate during the quarter: Northeast Regional-Richmond, 

Adirondack, Ethan Allen, and Vermonter.

A. On-Time Performance and Train Delays

1. Customer On-Time Performance

The customer on-time performance metric is the percentage of all customers on an intercity 

passenger rail train who arrive at their detraining point no later than 15 minutes after their 

published scheduled arrival time, reported by train and by route. 

The customer on-time performance minimum standard is 80 percent for any 2 consecutive 

quarters.

Data Description and Notes

No data reported for this quarter. This metric will be reported in the quarterly report 

covering July 1 – September 30, 2021. 

2. Ridership Data

The ridership data metric is the number of host railroads to whom Amtrak has provided ridership 

data reported by host railroad and by month. 

Data Description and Notes

Ridership data means, in a machine-readable format: the total number of passengers, by 

train and by day; the station-specific number of detraining passengers, reported by host 

railroad, whose railroad right-of-way serves the station, by train and by day; and the 

station-specific number of on-time passengers reported by host railroad whose railroad 

right-of-way serves the station, by train and by day. 

There are two host railroads not listed in the data over which Amtrak does not currently 

operate: Florida East Coast Railway and Sound Transit. Ridership data will be provided 

to these host railroads in advance of operations. Amtrak provided ridership data to 

Portland Terminal Railroad Company via BNSF Railway. 

3. Certified Schedules

The certified schedule metric is the number of certified schedules, uncertified schedules, and 

disputed schedules, reported by train, by route, and by host railroad (excluding switching and 

terminal railroads), identified in a notice to the Federal Railroad Administrator by Amtrak.
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Data Description and Notes

Monthly reports are available at: https://railroads.dot.gov/passenger-rail/amtrak/intercitypassenger-rail-service-quality-and-performance-reports. No data reported for this quarter. 

This metric will be reported in the quarterly report covering July 1 – September 30, 2021. 

Certified schedule means a published train schedule that Amtrak and the host railroad 

jointly certify is aligned with the customer on-time performance metric and standard. 

Uncertified schedule means a published train schedule that has not been reported as a 

certified schedule or a disputed schedule.

Disputed schedule means: (1) A published train schedule for which a specific change is 

sought: (i) that is the only subject of a non-binding dispute resolution process led by a 

neutral third-party and involving Amtrak and one or more host railroads; (ii) that is the 

only subject of a non-binding dispute resolution process led by a neutral third-party that 

has been initiated by one or more host railroads and Amtrak has not consented to participate 

in the process within 30 calendar days; or (iii) that is the only subject of a non-binding 

dispute resolution process led by a neutral third-party that has been initiated by Amtrak 

and the host railroad has not consented to participate in the process within 30 calendar 

days. 

4. Train Delays

The train delays metric is the minutes of delay for all Amtrak-responsible delays, host-responsible 

delays, and third-party delays, for the host railroad territory within each route. The train delays 

metric is reported by delay code by: total minutes of delay; Amtrak-responsible delays; Amtrak’s 

host-responsible delays; Amtrak’s host-responsible delays and Amtrak-responsible delays 

combined; non-Amtrak host-responsible delays; and third-party delays. The train delays metric is 

also reported by the number of non-Amtrak host-responsible delay minutes disputed by host 

railroad and not resolved by Amtrak. 

Data Description and Notes

Amtrak-responsible delays means delays recorded by Amtrak, in accordance with Amtrak 

procedures, as Amtrak-responsible delays, including passenger-related delays at stations, 

Amtrak equipment failures, holding for connections, injuries, initial terminal delays, 

servicing delays, crew and system delays, and other miscellaneous Amtrak-responsible 

delays.

Host-responsible delays means delays recorded by Amtrak, in accordance with Amtrak 

procedures, as host-responsible delays, including freight train interference, slow orders, 

signals, routing, maintenance of way, commuter train interference, passenger train

interference, catenary or wayside power system failure, and detours. 

Third-party delays means delays recorded by Amtrak, in accordance with Amtrak 

procedures, as third-party delays, including bridge strikes, debris strikes, customs, 

drawbridge openings, police-related delays, trespassers, vehicle strikes, utility company 

delays, weather-related delays (including heat or cold orders, storms, floods/washouts, 
Quarterly Report on Performance and Service Quality of Intercity Passenger Train Operations

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earthquake-related delays, slippery rail due to leaves, flash-flood warnings, wayside defect 

detector actuations caused by ice, and high-wind restrictions), acts of God, or waiting for 

scheduled departure time. In this quarterly dataset, the third-party delays are coded as 

“Neither.”

Delay minutes disputed by host railroad and not resolved by Amtrak means delay minutes

for which a host railroad disputed the code used by Amtrak to classify the delay, or the 

number of delay minutes assigned to the host railroad, but were not changed by Amtrak 

after the host’s initial request. Ultimately, Amtrak and the host railroads may agree that a 

different delay code or number of delay minutes is appropriate following further 

discussion; this data only reports delay minutes that were not adjusted after the host 

railroad’s initial request for reclassification.

Delays are reported by operating business line, which is similar to the service line structure

(see Amtrak Route Structure and Descriptions). The NEC business line includes the 

following routes: Acela, Northeast Regional, Northeast Regional – Richmond / Newport 

News / Norfolk, Northeast Regional – Roanoke, and Northeast Regional – Springfield 

Shuttles. See Table 4 for a list of host railroads and abbreviated host railroad codes used in 

the delay reports. See Table 5 for a list of the delay codes, abbreviations, and 

responsibilities.

Table 4. Host Railroad Names and Codes 

Host Railroad Name Host Railroad Code 

Amtrak AM

Belt Railway of Chicago BR

BNSF Railway Company BN

Buckingham Branch Railroad BB

Central Florida Rail Corridor FR

Chicago Terminal CT

CN – IC (Former GTW and IC) CC

Conrail Shared Assets CR

CP Rail (Soo Line) CP

CSX Corporation CS

Florida DOT (CSX Dispatched) FL

Kansas City Terminal KC

Long Island Railroad LG

Massachusetts DOT MA

MBTA MT

Metra ME

Metro-North Railroad MN

Michigan DOT MI

Minnesota Commercial MC

New Mexico DOT NM

Norfolk Southern NS

Pan Am Railways (formerly Guilford) GT

S.C.R.R.A (Moorpark to LAX) SC

San Diego Northern SN

Terminal Railroad Assn. Of St. Louis (TRRA) TR

Trinity Rail Express TE
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Host Railroad Name Host Railroad Code 

Union Pacific UP

Table 5. Amtrak Delay Code Definitions 

Responsibility Code Code Description Explanation 

Amtrakresponsible delaysADA Passenger-related All delays related to disabled passengers, 

wheelchair lifts, guide dogs, etc.

CAR Car failure Mechanical failure on all types of cars

CCR Cab car failure Mechanical failure on Cab Cars

CON Hold for guaranteed connection Holding for connections from other trains or 

buses

CTC CETC system failure Failure of the CETC train control system

ENG Locomotive failure Mechanical failure on engines

HLD Passenger-related All delays related to passengers, checked 

baggage, large groups, etc.

INJ Injured/Ill guest/Employee Delay due to injured passengers or 

employees

ITI Initial terminal delay Delay at initial terminal due to late arriving 

inbound trains causing late release of 

equipment

MTI Disabled train ahead Disabled train ahead due to mechanical 

failure

OTH Miscellaneous delays Lost-on-run, heavy trains, unable to make 

normal speed, etc.

SVS Servicing All switching and servicing delays

SYS Crew & system Delays related to crews including lateness, 

lone-engineer delays

Host-responsible 

delays

CTI Commuter train interference Delays for meeting or following commuter 

trains

CTP Commuter train problems Delays directly caused by abnormal 

occurrences to commuter trains

DBB B&B work due to defect Delays caused by bridge or building 

maintenance

DCS C&S work due to defect Signal failure or other signal delays, wayside 

defect-detector false alarms, defective road

crossing protection, efficiency tests, 

drawbridge stuck open

DCT Defective concrete ties Delays caused by the replacement of 

concrete ties

DDA Defect detector actuation Delays caused by train inspection following 

a defect detector actuation

DET ET work due to defect Catenary or other electrical maintenance

DMW M/W work due to defect Maintenance of Way delays including holds 

for track repairs or MW foreman to clear

DSR Slow order delays Temporary slow orders, except heat or cold 

orders

FTI Freight train interference Delays from freight trains
Quarterly Report on Performance and Service Quality of Intercity Passenger Train Operations

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Responsibility Code Code Description Explanation 

PBB Planned B&B work Scheduled bridge and building maintenance

PET Planned ET work Scheduled catenary or other electrical work

PSC Planned C&S work Scheduled communications and signal work

PSR Planned speed restrictions Scheduled speed restrictions

PTI Passenger train interference Delays for meeting or following other 

passenger trains (not commuter trains)

RTE Routing delays, including late 

bulletins 

Routing-dispatching delays including 

diversions, late track bulletins, etc.

SMW Scheduled M/W work Scheduled maintenance of way work

Third-party delays BSP Bridge strike Delay due to train striking an overhead 

bridge

CUI Customs and immigration U.S. and Canadian customs delays; 

Immigration-related delays

DBS Debris strike, damage, set outs Debris strikes

MBO Movable bridge opening Movable bridge openings for marine traffic 

where no bridge failure is involved

NOD Unused recovery time Waiting for scheduled departure time at a 

station

POL Police-related delay Police/fire department holds on right-of-way 

or on board trains

TRS Trespasser incident Trespasser incidents including road crossing 

accidents, trespasser/animal strikes, vehicle

stuck on track ahead, bridge strikes

UTL Utility company failure Failure due to utility company issue

WTR Weather-related All severe-weather delays, landslides or 

washouts, earthquake-related delays, heat or 

cold orders

5. Train Delays per 10,000 Train-Miles

The train delays per 10,000 train-miles metric is the minutes of delay per 10,000 train-miles for 

all Amtrak-responsible and host-responsible delays, for the host railroad territory within each 

route. 

Data Description and Notes

Delays per 10,000 train-miles is the number of minutes of delay normalized by train-miles 

so that routes of different lengths, and hosts with different amounts of Amtrak service, can 

be compared to each other. Specifically, it is the number of minutes of host-responsible 

delay, divided by the number of Amtrak train-miles operated over that host, multiplied by 

10,000. 

6. Station Performance

The station performance metric is the number of detraining passengers, the number of late 

passengers, and the average minutes late that late customers arrive at their detraining stations, 

reported by route, by train, and by station. The average minutes late per late customer calculation 

excludes on-time customers that arrive no later than 15 minutes after their scheduled time.
Quarterly Report on Performance and Service Quality of Intercity Passenger Train Operations

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Data Description and Notes. 

No data reported for this quarter. This metric will be reported in the quarterly report 

covering July 1 – September 30, 2021. 

7. Host Running Time

The host running time metric is the average actual running time and the median actual running 

time compared with the scheduled running time between the first and final reporting points for a 

host railroad set forth in the Amtrak schedule skeleton, reported by route, by train, and by host 

railroad (excluding switching and terminal railroads). 

Data Description and Notes. 

Actual running time means the actual elapsed travel time of a train’s travel on a host 

railroad, between the departure time at the first reporting point for a host railroad segment 

and the arrival time at the reporting point at the end of the host railroad segment. 

Scheduled running time means the scheduled duration of a train’s travel on a host railroad, 

as set forth in the Amtrak schedule skeleton. 

Schedule skeleton means a schedule grid used by Amtrak and host railroads to 

communicate the public schedule of an Amtrak train and the schedule of operations of an 

Amtrak train on host railroads. 

No data reported for this quarter. This metric will be reported in the quarterly report 

covering July 1 – September 30, 2021. 

B. Customer Service 

1. Customer Satisfaction

The customer satisfaction metric is the percent of respondents to the Amtrak customer 

satisfaction survey who provided a score of 70 percent or greater for their “overall satisfaction” 

on a 100-point scale for their most recent trip, by route, shown both adjusted for performance 

and unadjusted. 

2. Amtrak Personnel

The Amtrak personnel metric is the average score from respondents to the Amtrak customer 

satisfaction survey for their overall review of Amtrak personnel on their most recent trip, by 

route. 

3. Information Given

The information given metric is the average score from respondents to the Amtrak customer 

satisfaction survey for their overall review of information provided by Amtrak on their most 

recent trip, by route. 
Quarterly Report on Performance and Service Quality of Intercity Passenger Train Operations

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4. On-board Comfort

The on-board comfort metric is the average score from respondents to the Amtrak customer 

satisfaction survey for their overall review of onboard comfort on their most recent trip, by route. 

5. On-board Cleanliness

The on-board cleanliness metric is the average score from respondents to the Amtrak customer 

satisfaction survey for their overall review of on-board cleanliness on their most recent trip, by 

route. 

6. On-board Food Service

The on-board food service metric is the average score from respondents to the Amtrak customer 

satisfaction survey for their overall review of on-board food service on their most recent trip, by 

route. 

Data Description and Notes for all Customer Service Metrics

Amtrak’s customer satisfaction survey means a market-research survey that measures 

Amtrak’s satisfaction score as measured by specific service attributes that cover the entire 

customer journey. 

FRA will publish information about Amtrak’s customer satisfaction survey (including the 

survey questions and methodology) annually as an appendix to the quarterly report. 

Amtrak adjusts overall satisfaction score performance by removing passengers who arrive 

at their destinations on State-supported and long-distance routes excessively late (30 

minutes late for State-supported routes and 120 minutes for long-distance routes) from the 

system-wide calculation.

Amtrak provided the percent of respondents to the Amtrak customer satisfaction survey 

who provided a score of 70 percent or greater for their overall satisfaction (Top 4) and the 

percent of respondents who provided a score of 80 percent or greater (Top 3). 

C. Financial

1. Cost Recovery

The cost recovery metric is Amtrak’s adjusted operating revenue divided by Amtrak’s adjusted 

operating expense. This metric is reported at the corporate level/system-wide and for each route 

and is reported in constant dollars of the reporting year based on the Office of Management and 

Budget’s gross domestic product chain deflator. 

Data Description and Notes

Adjusted operating expenses means Amtrak’s operating expenses adjusted to exclude 

certain Amtrak expenses that are not considered core to operating the business. The major 

exclusions are depreciation, capital project–related expenditures not eligible for 

capitalization, the non-cash portion of pension and post-retirement benefits, and Amtrak’s 
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16 

Office of Inspector General expenses. Adjusted operating expenses do not include any 

operating expenses for State-supported routes that are paid for separately by States. 

System-wide (Total Amtrak) includes Ancillary and Infrastructure expenses not related to 

train operations. National Train Service includes expenses from all train operations and 

routes. Special Trains includes expenses related to contracting of Amtrak’s equipment 

crews for private excursion. 

FY21 Q3 results do not include a late June Insurance Claim entry for $15 million. 

2. Avoidable Operating Costs Covered by Passenger Revenue

The avoidable operating costs covered by passenger revenue metric is the percent of avoidable 

operating costs divided by passenger revenue for each route, shown with and without State 

operating payments. 

Data Description and Notes

Avoidable operating costs means costs incurred by Amtrak to operate train service along a 

route that would no longer be incurred if the route were no longer operated. For this 

quarterly report, Avoidable Operating Expense is calculated by adding Frequency Variable 

& Route Variable costs.

Passenger revenue means intercity passenger rail revenue generated from passenger train 

operations, including ticket revenue, food and beverage sales, operating payments 

collected from States or other sponsoring entities, special trains, and private car operations.

3. Fully Allocated Core Operating Costs Covered by Passenger Revenue

The fully allocated core operating costs covered by passenger revenue metric is the percent of 

fully allocated core operating costs divided by passenger revenue for each route, shown with and 

without State operating payments. 

Data Description and Notes

Fully allocated core operating costs means Amtrak’s total costs associated with operating 

an Amtrak route, including direct operating expenses, a portion of shared expenses, and a 

portion of corporate overhead expenses. Fully allocated core operating costs exclude 

ancillary and other expenses that are not directly reimbursed by passenger revenue to match 

revenues with expenses.

Passenger revenue means intercity passenger rail revenue generated from passenger train 

operations, including ticket revenue, food and beverage sales, operating payments 

collected from States or other sponsoring entities, special trains, and private car 

operations. 
Quarterly Report on Performance and Service Quality of Intercity Passenger Train Operations

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4. Average Ridership

The average ridership metric is the number of passenger-miles divided by train-miles for each 

route. 

Data Description and Notes

None. 

5. Total Ridership

The total ridership metric is the total number of passengers on Amtrak trains, reported by route. 

Data Description and Notes

None. 

D. Public Benefits 

1. Connectivity

The connectivity metric is the percent of passengers connecting to and from other Amtrak routes, 

updated on an annual basis. 

Data Description and Notes

Under this metric, a connection means a passenger arriving on one train and connecting to 

a departing train within 23 hours. 

No data reported for this quarter. This metric will be updated annually and will be reported 

in the quarterly report covering October 1 – December 31, 2021. 

2. Missed Connections

The missed connections metric is the percent of passengers connecting to/from other Amtrak 

routes who missed connections due to a late arrival from another Amtrak train, reported by route 

and updated on an annual basis. 

Data Description and Notes

No data reported for this quarter. This metric will be updated annually and will be reported 

in the quarterly report covering October 1 – December 31, 2021. 
Quarterly Report on Performance and Service Quality of Intercity Passenger Train Operations

18 

3. Community Access 

The community access metric is the percent of Amtrak passenger-trips to and from not wellserved communities, updated on an annual basis. 

Data Description and Notes

Not well-served communities means those rural communities: within 25 miles of an 

intercity passenger rail station; more than 75 miles from a large airport; and more than 25 

miles from any other airport with scheduled commercial service or an intercity bus stop. 

No data reported for this quarter. This metric will be updated annually and will be reported 

in the quarterly report covering October 1 – December 31, 2021. 

4. Service Availability

The service availability metric is the total number of daily Amtrak trains per 100,000 residents in 

a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) for each of the top 100 MSAs in the United States, shown in 

total and adjusted for time of day, updated on an annual basis. 

Data Description and Notes

The metric, as adjusted for time of day, shows only those trains that arrive or depart 

between 5:00 a.m. and 11:00 p.m. 

No data reported for this quarter. This metric will be updated annually and will be reported 

in the quarterly report covering October 1 – December 31, 2021.