Revenues only grow with good ridership and increased capacity - Graham Claytor's motto. Amtrak continues with a constrained capacity with its LD trains - coach and sleeper class. The trains that haven't recovered as much (e.g. Capitol Limited, Cardinal, etc.) are at the bottom of the barrel with their consist size. To compensate for a largely 3 to 4 total passenger car Capitol Limited in summer of 2023, the Lake Shore Limited carried FOUR Viewliner Sleepers - something that it hasn't seen in years! Hence the numbers were up!
The Lake Shore Limited had a third New York Sleeper in the summer of 2023 and its head-end Boston Viewliner sleeper - that's four sleepers altogether. Auto Train has up to 9 Superliner Sleepers alone, plus its coaches. Both trains had a descent amount of coaches.
The Empire Builder always seems to do "well" but if it had its second Seattle coach, second Seattle sleeper, and even second Portland sleeper restored most of the year, it would have edged up further in ridership - by a lot. The Coast Starlight is even anemic due to its reduction outside of summer season to just two sleepers. Compare to when it had three to four Superliner sleepers, plus the Superliner trans-dorm Sleeper.
There are so many relationships and contexts for the presentation of the raw numbers Amtrak puts forward. But the context is typically lacking, and that could be dangerous to some stakeholders and readers.
Moreover, I am sure that the Auto Train receives more favorable cost accounting treatment for essentially being an "express" train between Lorton and Sanford, with no intermediate stops. It's rear-end auto cargo also helps. If Amtrak added a prestige class of service (e.g. extra Superliner Sleepers with increased price for a higher level of service) it too would have a different ridership and financial outcome.
Amtrak needs recovery to its fleet capacity (e.g. more cars in service and operating in overnight LD consists) as well as some creative thinking to how it operates long distance trains - both in potential service offerings to customers (e.g. a prestige class - even European trains are adopting this model), its cost accounting methodology, and its train ops staffing. Amtrak should also do an analysis that looks at consists of trains before the pandemic and FY2023, alongside ridership and financial numbers. Shrinking consists, yet Amtrak jacked up the prices. That story got lost in the shuffle for sure!