For what it's worth, this month's Trains magazine has a cover story on what Amtrak needs to succeed long term. Just got my issue in the mail tonight, haven't had a chance to fully read it yet, but looks promising.

One point the Trains article did make that I thought was interesting was that the board of directors tends to be stacked with political appointees without rail or passenger experience. They discussed that in the context of how many Amtrak presidents have short tenures with rocky endings (think Gunn for example). It would be interesting to watch in the coming years to see if maybe we could get a more professional board and less political interferrence.

Some of the horrors cited in Trains included coaches where it pours water inside when it rains outside due to damaged vents, electrical problems, and the shortage of any extra train cars.

An editorial at the start of the magazine makes the point that we need to prioritize where trains run and don't just run them where the most powerful politicians live. Sadly, I'd love to see the Pioneer come back, so Wyoming would have a train again. Probably won't happen.