Impossible to carry in three days the number of passengers traveling many of 7 day weeks. By decimating the revenue flow, how can Amtrak do anything but shut down in 2021? The number of seats and rooms for sale seems to be reduced regularly. The experience has been changed from a trip you looked forward to, into a trip one almost dreads. My heart aches to see US passenger rail fade away like this.
This era's tri-weekly program is actually more vicious than last time. Here's a sample consist when they were trying.
Amtrak Train #35, Desert Wind
Amtrak Train #25, Pioneer
Denver , Colorado
Friday, January 3, 1997
Train #35/25 arrived approximately 9:15 am, 30 minutes late
Type Car # Line # Comments Name
------------- -------- -------- --------------- --------
P32 513 Chi-LA
P32 515 Chi-LA
F40 384 Chi-LA
F40 380 Den-Sea
F40 361 Den-Sea
Mail 1524 Den-Sea
1) Mail 1468 Chi-Sea, to #25
2) Mail 1453 Chi-Den
3) Mail 1463 Chi-LA
4) Baggage 1183 Chi-LA
5) Dorm (SL II) 39004 3500 Chi-LA
6) Sleeper 32058 3531 Chi-LA
7) Sleeper 32056 3532 Chi-LA
8) Diner 38010 Chi-LA
9) Lounge 33006 Chi-LA
10) Coach-Smoker 31525 3510 Chi-LA
11) Coach 34094 3511 Chi-LA
12) Coach 34028 3512 Chi-LA
13) Coach-baggage 31029 3513 Chi-LA
14) Sleeper (SL II 32074 3532 Chi-Den
15) Sleeper (SL II 32092 2536 Chi-Sea Mississippi
16) Sleeper 32011 2535 Chi-Sea
17) Diner 38001 Chi-Sea
18) Coach 34070 2514 Chi-Sea
19) Coach-baggage 31036 2515 Chi-Sea
Coach-Snack bar 35007 2516 Den-Sea
Coach 34047 2517 Den-Sea, not open
Dorm (SL II) 39015 2510 Den-Sea
While these trains weren't very long west of Denver they in Amtrak's mind only supplemented the trains that are now threatened. There was a lot more space offered in total.