A few years ago I joined Amtrak's Guest Rewards program, which every month sends an e-mail showing my current point total. These also include a few tidbits of the latest Amtrak news. This is how I learned Amtrak's Customer Advisory Committee (ACAC) is currently recruiting new committee members to fill impending vacancies from several areas, including the Pacific Northwest, Southern California, North Carolina and the New York Empire Corridor along with regular riders of the the Sunset Limited® or Empire Builder®. The ACAC was formed in 1997 to represent the needs and concerns of the traveling public to Amtrak management.
To be eligible you need to be a frequent rider of Amtrak and willing to do a bit of travelling. Details are posted on the Amtrak website. The deadline to apply is August 21st.