I agree with this but it is not Amtrak's fault. They are not a corporation per se, but a supported, fend for yourself, government business. They try to make the dollars work each year, but it is accidents, breakdowns, and old equipment (goes way back to the 70's in some cases) that causes this. And why? Because the gov wants to keep slashing its support while at the same time touting its advantages.
I am an Amtrak and train fan. Have been for many years. Amtrak is not Amtrak's fault. It is ours for not using public transit more. It is the government not supporting it while still supporting train travel. We need to ditch the cars we drive when the train makes sense. We need to take a trip by train on a vacation.
We need to stop being selfish about our cars and let go. We say everyday we can't afford them anymore, but still go on and use them anyway. Me included.
Take the train when you can. It's fun. And the scenery is amazing on almost every route. I ride somewhere every year. I have an Amtrak CC that gives me points and I use them as well. a couple days on a train round trip and you are good to go. Especially in a room or bedroom.
As far as the iPhone... don't care whose tech they use, just as long as the experience for both conductor and passenger is positive. I'm all for it.
Suffice it to say that I'm extremely familiar with how government "businesses" operate, so I'm not as sympathetic as you. I agree with just about everything you've said, except "we need to stop being selfish about our cars and let go". The implication that car ownership is selfish is utterly repulsive to me. Sorry. It's great that the train is wonderful for folks like yourself, but the cold hard reality is that the train is utterly worthless for many, many more. Worthless at best.
I do love trains. I immigrated to this country with my family on a train. My wife comes from a beautiful part of the country where it's clear that trains are the lifeblood of the economy. Whenever I visit Balboa Park in San Diego I head straight to the Train museum. I acknowledge that many cities/states/countries have very robust, convenient, and necessary rail systems, but for many more economies, the business and politics of it is absolutely abysmal at best, and threatening at worst.