I think that the time to graduate has reduced for a number of reasons, including concerted efforts by some departments to move students through faster, a more focused attempt by the students to finish earlier, and funding issues that simply limit how long you can stay.
I certainly do not think that all 8 of the factors you mentioned have improved. For example, funding is a bigger problem than ever - not only are more students seeing assistantship/fellowship shortages, but also the grant money needed to complete research has also reduced. This pushes students to graduate faster (while they still have funding!), it sure does not make their time any better!
So here is my point of view: Grad school has gotten shorter, on average. That alone does not mean it has gotten better, just that it has gotten shorter. Grad students experience all the problems you mentioned and more, and while some may have improved (again, on average) others have gotten worse. The grad experience, while wonderful in some ways, is still extremely hard compared to industry, and outcomes for graduates have certainly not improved. The difficulties humorously discussed in PhD comics are still experienced by a great many grad students all around the country, and if you yourself don’t or didn’t experience them, the sheer popularity of the comic should give you some proof that it resonates with a lot of students and former students.