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Clearly, Amtrak management needs to know whether its trains are adhering to their schedules.  They need complete, accurate and timely reports.  They also need an analysis of the root cause of the problems if they are to address them.But the passenger, whether he or she is traveling by train, bus, or plane, is only interested in knowing when he is scheduled to leave and arrive at his destination.  Most travelers don't know and don't care about the inner workings of the carrier.If the Texas Eagle gets a clear signal between Dallas and Fort Worth, it can beat the Trinity Railway Express (TRE) to Cow Town.  But several operating problems make the run difficult in both directions.  Upon departure from or arrival in Dallas, Numbers 21 and 22 must stop just north of the station so that a crew person can detrain and throw a manual switch.  This is a 19th century procedure that adds several minutes to the run from Dallas to Fort Worth or vice versa.  Number 21 must back into the Fort Worth Intermodal Transit Center (ITC).  And Number 22 must back out.  A crew person must stand in the rear car doorway and talk the engineer through the procedure.  In addition, as I have observed on many occasions, just as Amtrak is ready to depart Fort Worth, a dispatcher sends a train through the Tower 55 junction, thereby delaying Amtrak's departure.  And if Amtrak is late, they seem to take delight in making it even later.Rumor has it that Amtrak is negotiating with the TRE to run the Eagle over its tracks between Fort Worth and Dallas.  This would eliminate the backing maneuver in Fort Worth and the manual switch throwing in Dallas.  Amtrak has run its Fort Worth based standby locomotive and Superliner coach over the TRE to verify that it would be a workable alternative.    Freight train congestion is the major reason Amtrak has difficulty getting into and out of Fort Worth on time.  It is also the biggest reason why the Eagle loses an average of 14 minutes between Fort Worth and Dallas.  Fort Worth is a major railway junction.  Lines from the east, west, south, and north converge in Fort Worth.  It is seemingly busy all day and night long.  On two occasions last year I was on Number 22 that had departed Cleburne, Texas on time, but it was held south of Fort Worth due to freight train traffic, and it went into the ITC more than an hour late.  Cleburne is the stop just before Fort Worth for Number 22.
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