I seriously despise when a company makes their services worse than already problematic services to compensate for lower sales. The closest major public trans system does the same, and keeps griping about lowering profits (cutting routes, less frequent bus and train service, still the same unreliable vehicles for both which often break down, raising rates, saving money by cleaning the vehicles less often, etc.).
That said, I think it's a cultural thing that rail travel (in general) isn't highly regarded in the U. S. Whether it's public transportation or long distance travel, many people seem to believe trains are basically for 'poor' people, and I've even (rarely but several different times) heard people say trains are for 'criminals on the no-fly list,' 'fugitives,' and basically the 'dregs' of society. Driving or flying are the only acceptable means of travel to a lot of people.
I wish we could change that, but it's a big mix of changing the image of rail travel to the general public, and changing the quality of rail services. Neither is going to be cheap or easy.