tbh, i finally rode Amtrak in my mid- to late-20s (when visiting the US from Europe), after years of hearing how horrible it was, and I discovered that it was totally awesome. the leg room is insane (makes a plane seem like a sardine can). easy to get up, walk around, do whatever. very comfy. and “time flew,” as they say.

Currently trains sprint from one small city to the next small city, eventually ending at their destinations. That’s fine for service at the small cities.

Amtrak needs to add intercity service. That’s service that bypasses all the tiny cities. It instead connects the major cities. Then, lines which run from Chicago to St Louis can run at 80-110 MPH for longer than 15 mile stretches.

rehabbed with new rail … new concrete ties and new signalling.
They are required to have positive control working over the
entire distance before they can raise the speed on the remainder
of the route from Pontiac to Alton. There are still political

problems with how the route will go around Springfield.
In other words they don’t want to lose a lot of time

poking along through Springfield.