'E' hit it right on the head. The Sunset New Orleans-Orlando route was just not a good performer. The population base along the Gulf Coast was served in the middle of the night and having it only a tri-weekly train also hurt.

Another thing that most people did not know about is that the train more often than not was terminated in Sanford, FL (at the Auto-Train terminal) instead of Orlando and the passengers bussed to Orlando. The time my dad rode, all of the passengers fit in a single bus with seats to spare.

Bringing back a day train, or trains on multiple daily frequency, for the Gulf Coast might be a better option for the future.