the Govt. shouldn't be subsidizing sleepers. If you can afford to have a sleeper you shouldn't need the govt. subsidy.
One of the issues mentioned in the presidential debate this evening was the money we're borrowing from China so that we can buy foreign oil. I believe that's a problem that affects all Americans, and that we ought to have sleepers available on electric trains that are available at prices that are no more expensive than an airplane ticket for the same distance, since I'm really not sure how we can continue to fuel air transportation without importing oil unless the demand for air transportation and automobile transportation declines dramatically.
Sleepers are the NEC? Are you kidding me? First class service, sure, BC, of course... but sleepers... nah uh.
Wouldn't those be put to better use... everywhere else in the country?
Consider your time as unequal. The time you spend asleep is not as valuble as the time you spend awake. So instead of spending 6:30 minutes on an Acela from Washington to Boston, awake, you go to the Thunder Grill in WUS, have a nice dinner, and board the Twilight Shoreliner at 8:25. You have a night cap, and perhaps some cheese and crackers. Go to your roomette, settle into bed, and fall asleep. You wake up at 6:30, shower, dress, and eat breakfast. Arriving in Boston at 7:52.
Where would you have spent that time of day? Sleeping in your bed at home. Now you are sleeping in the bed on the train. I admit it isn't your own bed, but so what?
The 9 hours that takes are less valuable to you than the 6:30 of waking hours the Acela takes.
Sleepers are better than high speed trains when the journey can be completed almost entirely overnight.