My take on all this meshugaas:
1: Expand on the existing NEC.
-Improvements to the Keystone for speed.
-New Haven-Springfield: string it up, at least to SPG, track improvements for speed and frequency, CT/MA funds more CTRail service, Amtrak drops most of the local stops, more through trains.
-Direct service to the terminals of PHL (I'll have to link a map of how this can be done, but you basically branch off the NEC at Chester, run over the existing ROW into the airport, then continue north to re-merge just before 30th St station).
-Electrify to Richmond.
2: VA/NC. VA is doing wonders and getting the S line operational will cut travel times between the NEC and Raleigh (and points south and west).
-There 100% needs to be an overnight counterpart to the Carolinian. Overnight Carolinian happens to be timed right to cover the duties of the existing first NC set that currently departs Raleigh early am and does the 2 round trips (cut the sleepers in Charlotte to be serviced during the day and then picked back up on the last outbound), freeing up that NC set to either provide additional service on the Piedmont.
-Expanded service between Raleigh and Charlotte with an extension to CLT and possibly some additional service out of Raleigh to Winston-Salem. -String up the Piedmont if it gets to be enough service, likewise for the S line (though I can't see more than 5x between WAS and Raleigh (depart WAS 6am (new), 10:30am (adjusted Carolinian), 4pm (adjusted Star), 6pm (new), 12:30am (Carolinian mirror) so not sure electrification is justifiable, track improvements for speed.
-Adjust Crescent schedule and double it. Push the existing SB train back 3 hours, add another one 4ish hours earlier than the existing train. Timed connections with the Piedmont at Greensboro.
3: Cleveland seems to be an end point for multiple potential corridors operating at various frequencies, so developing a new facility/base there would be warranted. 3C, Pittsburgh (via Akron & Youngstown), Chicago (Preferably via Fort Wayne), Buffalo (how much demand is there for travel between these two and the lakefront communities between them honestly? Perhaps if it ran to Toronto?), and I'll add Detroit. Hopkins Airport falls on 2 of those so a station there definitely has merit and you may even see a very slight boost in flights serving the airport as a result of its improved distribution capabilities.
4: Florida, what a mess.
-Brightline is going to do its thing, serving MCO, Disney, Lakeland, and Tampa. Hopefully both serve Tampa's Union Station. I'd like to see Brightline run another service up their tracks to Jacksonville (have they expressed any strong indication of doing so?). If they do, Amtrak and Brightline should definitely have a shared station in Jacksonville and if a thru-ticketing agreement could be reached that would only serve to help both companies. Punctuality on the Amtrak side is a concern but assuming Brightline will be running at decent headways missed connections SB aren't the end of the world. Then re-direct all Silver Service into Florida to terminate at Tampa. Not sure what to do about Okeechobee, Sebring, or Winter Haven though.
-New state funded corridors Tampa-Jacksonville via Ocala/Gainesville and Tampa-Naples (and maybe extend to Miami?) and contracted out to either Brightline or Amtrak. Again, ideally both companies serve Union Station in Tampa, which could possibly allow for a new state operated servicing facility at Tampa paid for both by Amtrak and Brightline unless the 2 can come to a joint operating agreement.
-Something commuter running Sanford-Orlando-Tampa, be it an expansion of Sunrail or whatever, as well as an Ocala-The Villages-Orlando-MCO service but that's more of a local issue.
-Atlanta-Jacksonville and Atlanta--Gainesville-Orlando-MCO via Warner Robins and Valdosta.
5: Cali:
-Finish CAHSR between LA and San Fran.
-2nd Coast Starlight operating overnight between LA and The Bay (SF or Oakland, debate it, my vote is San Fran with a timed Capitol Corridor connection).
-LOSSAN frequency increase and string it up.
-LA to Phoenix, get trip time way down (that is very straight track), run 5x daily. Add stops at Ontario Airport, re-route into Phoenix, and stop at Phoenix Sky Harbor and Tempe, terminate in Mesa
-LA to Vegas multiple frequencies with 1 being a re-instated Desert Wind to Denver via SLC, Ogden & Cheyenne. Overnight portion is between LV and SLC. Daylight LV-LA and SLC-Denver.
6: Break CZ in 2 at Denver. Add 2nd frequency CHI-DEN, add an overnight DEN-SLC via Cheyenne and Ogden, maybe a (or is there not a lot of movement between these cities?)
7: TEXAS G-D D@MN MOTHER#U(KING TRIANGLE. Dallas - Houston (let TX Central be the high speed express, Amtrak is the local via College Station, Waco, and other intermediate points), San Antonio-Dallas, and San Antonio-Houston via Austin. Vonlane is growing and between them and Southwest it's overly obvious that the demand is there. I'd also extend Houston into Galveston and try to bring Texas Central into the same station that the Amtrak service would end up using (would be great if they could get the old location back at the postal facility (or is it IRS? I forget), it is perfect). Track speeds up as much as possible, electrified, frequent service.
8. Wisconsin:
-Mas Hiawatha. String it up, speed it up. Extension of some schedules to Madison.
-There should absolutely be a local service operating via Evanston, Waukeegan, Kenosha, and Racine
-Is there any merit to extending any Hiawathas to Green Bay via Fon De Lac, Oshkosh, and Appleton or is it just not populous enough? Is going up there a thing on summer weekends?
-Chicago-Madison via Rockford & Janesville
-Boosted service Chicago-Minneapolis, at least 3x (2 day, 1 overnight). How much value is there in getting Madison hooked up with Minneapolis?
9. -Bring back Chicago-Indianapolis service but make the necessary improvements to make that train actually useful and competitive. Extend to Louisville, Cincinnati, and Dayton/Columbus, even if it means sending most frequencies all as one train from Chicago and splitting up in Indy. Also, have at least 1 frequency to Pittsburgh via Indy and Columbus.
10. NY HSR: Just #U(KING DO IT ALREADY!
-What were studies showing travel time would be along the line?
-With GO extending to Niagara Falls, would it be at all possible to operate to Toronto with just 2 Canadian stops (Niagara Falls and Toronto) and immigration formalities done at the station rather than on the train at the border? If so, run all service to Toronto. Better to anchor it down with 2 major cities and have a string of smaller ones between them. If not, how tied in is Central NY with Cleveland and the lakefront communities? More-so than with Toronto?
-Bring Amtrak back into downtown Syracuse. Between I-481 and I-81, I-690 doesn't serve any real purpose. West of downtown it's easy enough to thread through along I-690.
-Overnight Adirondack. Any way to speed up the day train other than the upcoming immigration process change? Damn shame the ROW via Burlington VT is developed in a key spot just north of the city, it's a MUCH straighter route, easier to upgrade for high speed.
11. Re-route CONO via St Louis, add 2 more trains between Chicago and St Louis. Re-route to serve Midway Airport directly
12. Most importantly in my opinion, more than anything, LOOK INTO NEW REVENUE STREAMS!
-Start developing land around the stations and lease it out (don't just sell it and be done with it). Syracuse would be a perfect opportunity for this if they could get service back into downtown.
-What about hotels/hostels at the stations? Some of these stations, although most not owned by Amtrak anymore, are beautiful structures and perhaps could host lodging. Their trains drives traffic to their hotels and their hotels drive traffic to their trains. Backpacking is growing in the US, cash in on that!