Why do trains in the US take so long?

[raz]

Agreed with all of the above.

OTOH, when the wife and I go to NYC for vacation from Pittsburgh, Amtrak is 9 hours vs 6.5 for driving.

But ...

1) we end up in the middle of the city
2) we pay less for train tickets than to park for the week
3) no stress dealing with auto traffic
4) big wide seats with lots of leg room versus air travel
5) we don't have to take off our shoes to ride

So, it's a win as long as we're not in a hurry.