WASHINGTON — Amtrak says on-time performance of the Sunset Limited remains poor, highlighting an urgent need for action by the Surface Transportation Board on its request for an investigation into the train’s operations.
In a Monday filing, the passenger operator provides a status report on quarterly performance of the Sunset, the subject of its Dec. 8, 2022 petition for an STB investigation of the train’s substandard performance under a provision of the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008 [see “Amtrak asks federal regulators to investigate …,” Trains News Wire, Dec. 9, 2022].
That filing laid the problems squarely at the feet of Union Pacific, while an accompanying document outlined suggested methodology for the first-of-its-kind investigation.
The December filing also said the Sunset had been far below the Federal Railroad Administration on-time standard of 80% customer on-time performance for the preceding four quarters, with on-time figures no higher than 40% and as low as 7%. The update, for the first quarter of Amtrak’s 2023 fiscal year (October through December of 2022), shows performance has improved from the previous two quarters but is still abysmal, with a 31% customer on-time figure for the westbound train, No. 1, and 26% for eastbound No. 2. Amtrak says the figures underscore “the need for an expeditious board investigation that provides Amtrak with appropriate relief.”
Monday’s filing follows a month of relative quiet on the matter. Union Pacific filed its reply to Amtrak’s petition in January, arguing that the issues with the Sunset derived from a schedule not designed to take the customer on-time performance metric into account [see “UP asks STB to order mediation …,” News Wire, Jan. 30, 2023]. Amtrak responded in early February, arguing against UP’s request for mediation [see “Amtrak argues against mediation …,” News Wire, Feb. 7, 2023].
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