Has Amtrak ever thought of venturing into commuter or light rail?
Amtrak is legally barred from either function by the Rail Passenger Service Act of 1971.
This is true. However, Amtrak has been a contract operator of various commuter lines over the years.
And has assembled some transit vehicles at Beech Grove, as well.
David Gunn pretty much pulled them out of the contract operations ( focus on your primary business).