A buddy of mine recently moved from DC to Florida. He tested the auto-train once, with his family of 7 and a car and the total cost was $1800. After COVID, it now costs double that. Now he just drives the 12 hours using a diesel pickup truck.

So they weren't always so disconnected from modern pricing, but I don't think the effects of COVID have fully played out across all the transportation options yet to know what 2021+ prices should look like.