One interesting thing to note is that there are now some cases where one can find a bucket where the Rail Fare is
higher than the accommodation fare!
A few examples (and disclaimer - these only apply to low-bucket accommodation fares, but still):
- CONO - $130 roomette accommodation fare vs $216 rail fare (total = $346)
- EB (SEA) - $282 roomette accommodation fare vs $332 rail fare (total = $614)
- Bonus: CRES - $280 roomette accommodation fare vs $279 rail fare (total = $559) - OK, with this bucket, the two are basically the same.
When purchasing a sleeper room on Amtrak, this has almost always been the opposite (and still is, in most cases).
The silver lining with this is that the Rail Fare can be discounted (such as Senior, NRP, and via companion coupon/BOGO sale), while accommodation fares are never discounted.