You know, I am new to this forum but I had some thoughts on this post. The first is that I love train travel, not Amtrak specifically. I take Amtrak because that is the main way to ride the train in this country. It there were other options, I'd look into them but there really isn't. The second is I guess I'm in a minority because i don't really look for amenities and such on the train. I bring my own stuff with me, such as food and entertainment and the like. I'd love to get a 'room' and not just a seat, but those have always been out of my price range. I remember the rooms costing around 400 to 500 bucks back in 2000 when I first road an Amtrak train, so the price they are now doesn't really surprise me. I also always brought food with me because the dining car and the cafe have always been really expensive. I guess I'm just not rich, so some of the prices have always seemed outlandish to me. I always figured it was like eating at a sports stadium: They have a trapped customer base so they can charge anything they want. The third thing is that I'm not riding to accumulate points for guest rewards. Those are a nice bonus (I suppose. I didn't know they existed until a week or two ago) but I ride the train for the enjoyment of traveling.
I'm sure not everyone is comfortable sleeping in a coach seat or bringing their own food - but I just think the OP should think about the enjoyment of the ride more than what amenities and such Amtrak offers. I mean, I'm able to see the country from almost literally one end to the other for under $200 bucks. That is amazing. Riding on a train forces me to destress as well. There is nothing I can do about anything happening back home or at my destination. I either don't worry about it or spend 3 days in a metal tube going nuts. I choose to not think about it.
Maybe the love of Amtrak is waning because the OP is forgetting what the love of traveling by rail is like. Traveling by train isn't the easiest thing in the world but it is something that is both rewarding and and unique. My last train trip wasn't the most fun, but I took a bus across country on from NY to Arizona last year - Let me tell you that whatever you think about Amtrak services, it is 100 percent better than riding the old gray dog.
Anyway
Didn't mean to intrude.
I think AGE has a tremendous amount to do with the "sleeper vs. coach" option, and the "loss of amenities" discussion.
I'm 57, and started traveling Amtrak in my early teens. On my own dime, all coach, loved every minute of it. In college, it was pretty much the same, all coach, due to cost. Sleeping in the chairs didn't both me, a few cocktails made it even easier. I did however LOVE eating in the diner, even though it was (more) expensive. Never missed dinner in the diner, thou I
did bring my cooler for lunches....... I think the first time I ever rode in a sleeper, was after I was employed by Amtrak. (They still had DORM CARS back in '79 too, three bunks high! Try the top bunk on the SW Chief, over jointed rail, at nearly 100 MPH... Better yet,
don't!)
Wedding in 1984 was my first paid sleeper, for a honeymoon trip trip from Chicago to east coast.
Not much LD travel in my 20's and 30's. (I was busy running a dinner train and tourist railroads) Started traveling again in my 40's, and made one short, overnight trip from BAL to BOS on the Night Owl. (66-67) in coach (no other option) from that point on, it was "
Never Again".
As I age(d), I
expect more when I
pay more. Not elitist, just willing,
and able to pay more, to be more comfortable.
Amtrak has cut, cut, cut, virtually all of the things I had come to expect,
and was willing and able to pay for, so now, other than a
flat bed, there is virtually no appeal for me to ride LD overnight. The meals in the dining car, served today, by reduced staff, virtually all re-heated, just plain SUCK, in every way that they can suck. The staff can only do so much, so I don't blame them. But the enjoyment of a well prepared meal, with a good bottle of wine, served on China and linen, gone. If I get a meal that is even
half as good as I can get at my local Applebee's, I feel that Amtrak pulled one out the hat. (And trust me, Applebee's is
not my first, or second, or even third, choice of dining establishments....) the scenery, and the people you meet on board, that's about all the appeal that Amtrak LD has for me now. And the fact I don't have to go to an air
port. I don't mind flying, I like it, I just hate the air
port experience)
Some of my high(er) expectations may come from my career in the hospitality industry, my experience of working on Amtrak as a kid, (and knowing what we COULD provide, if given the opportunity) and life experiences of learning about fine wines, and first class food. Maybe Amtrak wouldn't
seem so bad, I guess, if I had never experienced those things, or, if Amtrak didn't play up the experience of "Sleeper Class".
So, Amtrak cannot appeal to multiple demographics, we know that, instead of being "Great at this" and "cheaper than XYZ", they must muddle in the middle, when it comes to LD trains.
Too bad. 'Cause I doubt every millennial out there is going to feel the way they feel
today, 10, 15, or even 20 years in the
future.