Wait you just posted a video about how the system was intentionally designed to fail.

If it can intentionally be designed to fail then it can be redesigned to succeed. There is no reason it has to be the way it is

I used to take Amtrak between Philly and DC. It took about 2 hours which is a bit shorter than driving if you're lucky enough to not hit major traffic. The problem was that if it rained you had water pouring into the car from multiple spots in the ceiling. Just an amazing thing to see in 200-year-old technology. Even Amish buggies don't leak like that.

I thought about taking the Acela on that route once. Cost 4X as much and shaved a whopping 10 minutes off the time.

Was it just absolutely packed and the window was the only way to make it inside? Maybe you ended up spending hours pressed against other people? Not sure if folks would be motivated to try to board without a ticket

Somewhere between 40 and 100 USD depending on location.

But as wages increase and the market is able to bear higher prices, its unlikely to increase to those prices, since the rail network isn't run for profit.

Prices will still go up as labor costs increase, just not as much as they could, similar to rent and food.

There are of course far cheaper options such as hard sleepers, soft seats, and hard seats, which pack 6 beds per birth, 8 seats, or ~12 seats respectively, and also a more expensive option on some trains that's 2 beds per berth.