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Paul, you make a lot of good points. I think the amenities argument for promoting LD rail only goes so far. LD trains need to be comfortably priced for the masses if they are to work, and too many amenities drive up the price.I really question the "rail cruise" theory, and I am uncomfortable with the comparison to the transatlantic passenger ship industry. Unlike trains, transoceanic ships can't stop en route to pick up and drop off passengers so there's no market for intermediate trips like Amtrak has. The beauty of a long distance train is that it can accommodate trips of many lengths, with multiple classes of service, in a single consist. In that context, I think speed is less important than reliability. Amtrak suffered significant ridership losses on the Starlight a year or so ago when UP delayed  it 8 hours or more as a matter of routine. But ridership on the more reliable Empire Builder increased during that same period by offering consistent service and  generally more reliable timekeeping.  I think there's a limit to how many amenities people want  or are willing to pay for. Amtrak's existing  levels of service generally sell pretty well close to capacity. However, Grandluxe's experiment with high end luxury service on regularly scheduled Amtrak runs is sputtering. That may be partly due to the lack of access to Grandluxe cars at intermediate stops, but also a matter of  pricing. So as far as amenities go, I think all that is needed to make train travel attractive are<ol><li>Convenient schedules. </li><li>Reliable timekeeping.</li><li>Palatable food service.</li><li>A reasonably comfortable lounge.</li><li>A seat or room priced within the passenger's budget.</li></ol>Anything more than that is probably excessive for most travelers.
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