Planes, trains, and automobiles

After doing some recon for my eminent trip to Florida in July, I am thoroughly confused. Here's why:

According to United Airlines, it costs more or less $375 to fly round-trip between Salt Lake and Orlando. I'm not quite sure how many cities it goes through, but it says it'll be about a 14 hour flight (total both ways). Keep those statistics in mind.

Now, according to Amtrak, that same trip (round trip) will cost $700 and take 138 hours, which is nigh-on 6 days.

So basically that means that for 325 extra dollars and 5 extra days, one can take a (statistically more dangerous, might I add) sojurn in a box car to Florida and back. That, in and of itself is fine . . . different strokes for different folks. However, why would anybody use the train to travel anywhere? Inter-city travel I can understand. But long distances? Why pay more money to take more time to get somewhere and take more of a risk while you're doing so? I never cease to be amazed at how utterly senseless and illogical the world is. Ahhh . . . c'est la vie.