Amtrak: Chicago to NYC?

Question

I'm going to New York City via the Chicago Amtrak station late this upcoming June. From what I've checked online, most trains arrive between fifteen to twenty minutes early. Can anyone confirm this? Does it change at all during the summer months?

I'm on a fairly tight schedule so it wouldn't be the end of the world to be an hour late but it would cost me about a hundred and fourty dollars worth of dead time.

Answer 1

With Amtrak, you can be on time, or you can be many hours late.

If it's worth $140 an hour to you, then fly, drive or even (I hate to say it) take the bus.

I love trains, but Amtrak is too unreliable if you're on a tight schedule.

Answer 2

My suggestion is plan to spend the money and if you don't have to, you can breathe a sigh of relief.  My Dad took the Amtrak all over the country twice and you just never know when you will get there.  Normally, you do get there in advance of arrival time, but sometimes you don't because of an equipment problem.  Sometimes it is because of other trains that share the track.