Perhaps they can follow up with a "Code for Amtrak" on-train hackathon. Amtrak is part of our civic infrastructure, perhaps Code for America could run it.

Their phone support line is actually incredibly useful. I've had to buy a ticket after boarding a train before, and a nice gentleman (in America) was able to get me booked in under two minutes. It would have taken longer to enter my information onto their website.

Sunday at 2:45pm mountain and the follow message is prominently displayed:

We are currently conducting site maintenance.

The Amtrak.com reservation system is temporarily unavailable while we perform site maintenance. To make reservations during this time, use the Amtrak mobile app for iPhone, Android and Windows Phone or call 1-800-USA-RAIL and speak to a customer service representative. We appreciate your patience.

The website is miserable. I recommend using the iOS app if you can.