I wouldn't agree with that, given the high volumes of people who are traveling on the Regional and weekend trains. I mostly take Amtrak for business (and then use my AGR points if I am taking leisure trips), but there are plenty of leisure travelers on the non-Acela trains in the NEC. As an example, my friend in DC took Amtrak to Wilmington to come visit me this past weekend. She doesn't have a car, and if she had rented one, she would have paid about $75 for it plus gas and tolls, not to mention having to race back to DC on Sunday afternoon in order to get the car back on time. That compares with a fare of about $110 on Amtrak, the ability to do work/relax on the train, and no rushing. It does make sense for plenty of people.