We also need to remember that the (intact) Sunset IS (was) the Southern Transcontinental Route for the U.S.A., which Katrina broke and CSX FIXED but Amtrak has so far refused to resume, holding the balance of the route hostage to try to extort a ransom from LA/MS/AL/FL in order to restart it. The LAST thing we need to consider is permanently discarding the southern transcon route; We need, rather, to do whatever it takes to restore it, even if that means starting a new service JAX-NOL.
The primary reason, I think, for the continued "suspension" language Amtrak continues to use, even though their Corporate nose is now substantially longer than the route, is that if they cancel it officially, they can't use it later if they decide to. Since they haven't officially "cancelled" service NOL-JAX, they still have the right to resume service on that rail path. So the fact that you may be sick and tired of hearing Amtrak claim that the service on that path is simply temporarily suspended may be true, but it sure beats losing the right to resume service on that path in the future. And a (hopefully) daily NOL-JAX, even with older, less comfortable cars, would be WAY better than nothing, IMHO. It would at least provide a resumption of the southern transcon route, and connect LAX, and all the stations east to NOL, and south from Chicago, with a connection to Florida via the Silver Service trains, at JAX.
If, as it appears, Sunset east of NOL is dead, we still need to effect a replacement for that part of the Sunset, to restore the southern transcon. What Amtrak doesn't seem to care about, or realize, or simply refuses to acknowledge, with or without actual or tacit goading from the administration, is that IT is supposed to be a NATIONAL rail system. And that -NATIONAL SYSTEM- MUST include the southern transcon route. That's Amtrak's responsibility, as the NATIONAL passenger rail SYSTEM, not the responsibility of the states along the route. If a state wants to begin an intrastate corridor, fine, require them to fund it to the extent that it doesn't cost Amtrak anything from it's national coffers. But the NATIONAL passenger rail SYSTEM is Amtrak's responsibility, not the states. And that MUST include the southern transcon.
Thus, the Cardinal would not run on the NEC at all! 
