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I'm not much of a math whiz, but I would guess that there's some sort of optimization function that would be able to calculate the net revenue from premium service on the basis of (1) the cost of providing service amenities at varying levels, (2) the accommodation charge, and (3) the expected passenger load expected on the basis of the amenity level and the accommodation charge.  It's possible that Amtrak has done this and their calculations show that they will make more net revenue in the end by having fewer sleeper passengers paying higher fares for fewer service amenities than they would get from filling up the sleepers and providing high quality service or filling up the sleepers with low fares and low service levels.  Of course, it's also possible that the company leadership has a story in its head about what train service is all about, and they don't want to be bothered with the facts.

Given that the extra revenue from the premium service, like sleepers, does a lot to cross-subsidize the total operations of the train and reduce the need for taxpayer subsidies, if I were in an oversight position (GAO, IG, Member of Congress, etc.), I'd pay very close attention to the accounting for the premium services and be very demanding to Amtrak management to reveal how they make decisions about service levels and fares.  Sure, it's possible that sleepers are mainly used as a land cruise by retirees (probably not true, at that), but if such passengers actually contribute to the bottom line, then so what?  I've always thought that the trains should be run primarily as transportation and not as "hospitality," but but if the financials can show otherwise, I might be wrong.