its cuz they forcing railways to act like a for-profit company. capitalists don't want to admit it but its just rationing based on who has money.

In other places with better passenger rail systems (China, Korea, Japan...) prices for economy seats are flat or distance-based.

You also usually don't need to do much planning because the high-stopped trains run 4-10X faster and are more frequent.

I live near the tracks and I've always wanted to hop on to the next town and stay the night. But the prices are fucking absurd like $180-300. And they want you to book well in advance to get lower prices, like a darn airline. And I could drive to the next town in an hour and a half for maybe $10 in gas. The train takes nearly 4 hours which isn't a problem but all things.considered it's not a viable service. Also only one train a day; In the afternoon to go, and in the early morning to return. If I'm going to a place on a whim to drink and party I'll be damned if I get up early.

The most expensive tickets available should be priced at about half of what the cheapest tickets currently cost. Amtrak is so fucking expensive and it really shouldn't be.

It's because the US will only subsidize private car ownership and corn.

There are better systems. A distance or time window based fare seems like the best way, until societies have developed to the point where public transportation is free at the point of use.

Germany has done well with the €49 per month "Germany ticket", which includes all urban and regional commuter trains across the country. If you want to take a high speed long distance train there is some weird surge and/or bucket based pricing. Depending on when you book the same trip can cost anywhere from €29 to €180. In comparison neighbouring countries like Switzerland or Netherlands have flat distance based fares for most services.

Alternatively many countries offer flex tickets, in which you book a section of travel, say from one city to another, and you have the full day to make that trip however it works for you.

If the model requires customers to put a substantial amount of time/effort just into getting a better price, the model itself has failed.

I'm even considering the notorious intercity buses because Amtrak's pricing is so fucked.