Every month, VPRA provides a report on On-Time Performance of the Commonwealth’s state-supported Amtrak Virginia service.
On-Time Performance
Amtrak Virginia Customer On-Time Performance (Customer OTP) is the percentage of customers who arrive at their destination within 15 minutes of the scheduled time. The goal is for 80% of customers to arrive on time. This standard is set by federal rule and applies to all intercity passenger rail trains, including Amtrak trains, nationwide.
Virginia Railway Express (VRE) measures On-Time Performance as the percentage of trains arriving at their destination within 5 minutes of the scheduled arrival time. Since VRE is a commuter rail operation (not intercity passenger rail) they are not held to the same federal Customer OTP standard as Amtrak.
Amtrak and Virginia Railway Express provide the operating and delay information VPRA utilizes for our On-Time Performance Reports. VPRA hosts regular meetings with operators: CSX, NS, Amtrak, and VRE to review delay information with a focus on frequent, impactful delays. OTP data often prompts a root cause analysis to understand if there are issues underlying the delays.
In addition, the Transforming Rail in Virginia initiative is key to improving OTP. Through TRV, VPRA is changing the future of rail transportation by acquiring railroad right-of-way, increasing rail capacity, and reworking passenger and freight operations to improve reliability and increase rail service in Virginia. The long-term goal is to separate freight and passenger operations, which will ultimately improve the OTP of both.
For more information on Customer On-Time Performance as defined by federal law, please visit the FRA website.