According to the source, a train is considered "on-time" if it arrives at the final destination, or end-point, within an allowed number of minutes of its scheduled arrival time. Trains traveling 250 miles or less are allowed a 10 minute tolerance while trains traveling over 550 miles are allowed a 30 minute tolerance, which is the maximum allowed. A long-distance train traveling over 550 miles would be considered "on-time" if it arrived at its final destination within 30 minutes of its scheduled arrival time. On-time performance is only calculated and measured at the end-point of a train route and is a measure of train performance.
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North American freight railroads - on-time performance (OTP) 2017
The statistic illustrates the leading North American freight railroads between January to December 2017, ranked by on-time performance. In that time period, Canadian Pacific was the most punctual railroad company, with *** minutes delay per thousand train miles.
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Amtrak. (April 26, 2018). North America's most punctual freight railroads between January to December 2017, ranked by on-time performance (in minutes per 1,000 train miles) [Graph]. In ÌÇÐÄÆÆ½â°æ. Retrieved July 25, 2026, from /statistics/553363/north-american-freight-railroads-on-time-performance/
Amtrak. "North America's most punctual freight railroads between January to December 2017, ranked by on-time performance (in minutes per 1,000 train miles)." Chart. April 26, 2018. ÌÇÐÄÆÆ½â°æ. Accessed July 25, 2026. /statistics/553363/north-american-freight-railroads-on-time-performance/
Amtrak. (2018). North America's most punctual freight railroads between January to December 2017, ranked by on-time performance (in minutes per 1,000 train miles). ÌÇÐÄÆÆ½â°æ. ÌÇÐÄÆÆ½â°æ Inc.. Accessed: July 25, 2026. /statistics/553363/north-american-freight-railroads-on-time-performance/
Amtrak. "North America's Most Punctual Freight Railroads between January to December 2017, Ranked by On-time Performance (in Minutes per 1,000 Train Miles)." ÌÇÐÄÆÆ½â°æ, ÌÇÐÄÆÆ½â°æ Inc., 26 Apr 2018, /statistics/553363/north-american-freight-railroads-on-time-performance/
Amtrak, North America's most punctual freight railroads between January to December 2017, ranked by on-time performance (in minutes per 1,000 train miles) ÌÇÐÄÆÆ½â°æ, /statistics/553363/north-american-freight-railroads-on-time-performance/ (last visited July 25, 2026)
North America's most punctual freight railroads between January to December 2017, ranked by on-time performance (in minutes per 1,000 train miles) [Graph], Amtrak, April 26, 2018. [Online]. Available: /statistics/553363/north-american-freight-railroads-on-time-performance/