Trogdor has already said much of what I was thinking, though I do have a few comments:
I have been following this post with great interest. I have my doubts about all of the ideas presented. First off Amtrak has NO Superliners available to build a new Cardinal train that originates in DC. Secondly the purchase of new Superliners is not funded nor is there any proposal before congress to do so.
Amtrak does
not have "NO Superliners available to build a new Cardinal train that originates in DC." The equipment exists. Whether this is the best use for it, I cannot comment.
I can believe that with the increase in ridership we will see more refurbished cars; mainly baggage cars being and diners being added. I can also believe that Amtrak will finally get approval to replace some of the old Viewliner trains but its a slow process.
There will not be refurbished baggage cars. Amtrak is attempting to procure new ones. There aren't single-level diners to be refurbished. There are 25 in the fleet, and after doing some stretching, Amtrak now schedules 15 daily. The cars are simply too old. Amtrak can spend all its money on refurbishing these cars, but there's not much that can be done except to rebuild the cars, which isn't happening. Hence, the inclusion of single-level diners in Amtrak's next equipment order.
I don't understand how this would be separate from replacing "some of the old Viewliner trains," though you imply that it would be.
The Viewliners, as Trogdor pointed out, are the newest rolling stock in the fleet (minus the sets).
As for new routes, the question must be asked; where is the equipment going to come from? The only one that can be added (reinstated) is the Sunset Limited from NOL to Miami. All Amtrak would need to do is re-open stations and run the existing train Eastward to Fl.
The equipment would come from the yards. There are enough cars in the fleet, though assigning them to the Cardinal would reduce the spare ratio, as Trogdor stated.
Yes, the NOL-ORL could be restored without requiring additional equipment.