Amtrak Train Delays?

Question

heyy I am going to another country and live in baltimore, md. the airport my plane is leaving is JFK Airport in new york, and I want to take the Amtrak train cause i believe it will be faster, more reliable, and convenient than the bus. but some of my friends are now telling me that sometimes the trains delay because of maintenance problems or such. I am planning on arriving very early but if I missed my plane because of something like that I would be very angry. Is it true Amtrak Trains delay often?? I always thought it was like a commuter train so then it would run very often and reliable...

Answer 1

I rode Amtrak recently from Portland, OR to Springfield, IL and back, and the most we were ever late was a half hour, but most of our stops were exactly on time...how long from when you get off the train till you have to be to the airport?

Answer 2

Commuter trains run pretty much on time, few delays. You should be able to find out "on-time" performance on their web site.

Answer 3

You are unlikley to have any problems.  Most of Amtrak's delays are on the long-haul routes, such as Chicago to San Francisco, where freight railroads control the tracks.  On the Northeast Corridor between Washington and Boston, Amtrak owns the rails and ensures that its trains operate reliably.