The Southwest Chief (SWC) to Coast Starlight (CS) connection is only 2:05 hours apart at LAX.
The SWC that arrived in LA this morning was - 2:05 late.
Yesterday morning 12/24 - the SWC was 3 hours, 41 minutes late.
The SWC that arrives at LAX tomorrow morning is shown on
Amtrak's Track-A-Train as currently being 38 minutes late tonight and approaching Gallup, NM.
For a variety of reasons, most often because Amtrak does not own the tracks, the SWC winds up running late.
That LA is at the end of the route means that is where the SWC usually is the latest if it is late.
However, if the SWC to CS connection is on a single reservation
the connection is guaranteed.
They might even hold the CS for a time if the SWC is running late.
Connecting TrainsAmtrak does not normally guarantee connections of less than 60 minutes (90 minutes between arriving long-distance trains and local trains in the Northeast Corridor). Please call Amtrak 1-800-USA-RAIL (1-800-872-7245) or your travel agent if your planned itinerary includes a shorter connection. A guaranteed connection does not ensure that such a connection will always be made. In the case of a missed guaranteed connection, Amtrak will provide alternate transportation on Amtrak, another carrier, or overnight hotel accommodations, at Amtrak's discretion.