Do we need "Long Distance " trains?

[MARC Rider]

Having better food service on the existing Amtrak L.D. network is everyone's hope, some sort of slimmed down cafe car offerings would be adequate for a day time train for me.

Actually, while "simplifying" dining car service *might* be justified (though it could be a lot better than the current flex meals), even for day train use, the cafe car offerings definitely need improvement. At the very least, the national cafe car menu should be similar to the cafe menu on the NEC, and some attention should be made to insure that they don't run out of stuff.