I would have gone to the airport anyways.

You would have arrived as the flight was leaving. Too late to make the flight, unless it was late, but airlines often lend a helping hand under their unofficial 'flat tire rule' and put you on the next flight for free.

While I understand this is a tough situation, and a difficult lesson to learn, I hope you understand why Amtrak (or airlines) can't be held responsible for expenses incurred when trains/flights are late. What if your flight was a $3,000 international flight? Or you missed a cruise costing thousands? Or you missed a meeting where you hoped to sign a million dollar client?

The bottom line is a train ticket can't be expected to include insurance for any missed expenses if/when a train is late.

If it did the losses from the EB would have bankrupted Amtrak months ago.