Amtrak is a joke as it is, to go from Chicago to Seattle is like $800+ round trip, the only thing that makes them money is the Northeast Corridor from DC to Boston
I took Amtrak to FL once, it cost twice as much as a plane ticket.
It was kind of fun because I got a room for part of the trip. The one thing that sucks is when you sit in coach, you have to bring all your shit with you wherever you go. That is unless you want it stolen.
Used to take it in my college summers from Chicago down to ISU to visit my buddy and play golf. That WAS cheaper than driving but only that route. I think it was like 19 bucks one way, hell of a deal.
I took it once back to college when my car broke down up here. It was meh, ended up probably being just as much to drive, and about the same amount of time, maybe 15 to 20 minutes less. I'll live happier knowing I've ridden it, and will never have to again. Hopefully the government fires everyone and finally turns it around. There is a ton of subsidies from the government for Amtrack