Plenty of reasons.
1. I'm a buff!
2. Most of the time I'm traveling from PHL to the Boston area. I live a short 15 minute bus ride from 30th Street. And I can choose between getting off at the Route or South Station and using commuter rail to get to my final destination. SOOOOOO Flexibility!!
3. I've done the drive to my ex's house in the Boston area. It's a bit much for me.
4. There isn't a good reason to fly that distance.
5. When I ride LD trains, it's because I'm not in a hurry and I want to enjoy looking at the country we live in.
6. There is always at least one good thing out of each trip.. Even if your hours late. Whether it's a crew member, seeing scenery in daylight that's normally a night run, or meeting and talking with a great person or persons in the diner. It's always there! You just have to find it!
7. So much of Americas hidden scenery that must be seen can only be seen on the train. Marias Pass and Donner Pass come to mind.
8. I can turn off my phone and disconnect from the world. In this day and age where everyone has to be on their cell phone or needs to have wifi, I choose to put those down and just disconnect from the world. Why? Think about how much stress can come in your life, and think about how much of it come from phone calls, text messages, Facebook messages, etc. Turn it off and enjoy the view and meet your fellow passengers and find out why they want to ride the train.
9. Trains are the future of this nation! We are decades behind Japan, China, France, Germany, and many other countries in terms of High Speed Rail. I do my best to advocate for HSR and Amtrak. In these times the people that represent us have their heads so far up their rear ends with stuff that isn't a priority. So what Trump didn't release his tax returns.. Let's be real if your in the White House, Capitol Building, or Politics in general you're a liar. Case example right now is the B&P Tunnels and the Hudson River Tubes. And we're busy fighting over stupid non sense. Many people blame the guy in the White House.. That's NOT who to blame. It's the people we elect to Capitol Hill. They spend years there and don't get jack done for the country, instead make it complete hell.
I can go on.. But that's enough for now.