TIPS FOR TRAVELING ON AMTRAK ACELA

I finally had a chance to ride the new NextGen Acela and I have to admit, I was wrong:  this really is Amtrak’s train of the future.

But here are a few tips for making your next ride frictionless.  These tips are mostly about riding Acela, but many hold true for slower Northeast Corridor trains.

WHAT’S A NEXTGEN ACELA?   These are the new trains built by Alstom, previously known as Avelia Liberty.  They hold 25% more passengers than the existing Acela trains and can, at least for 32 miles with fast, straight track in New Jersey, travel up to 160 mph compared to the old Acela’s 150 mph.

My fantasy:  driving a fast train!

Just a few of the new trains are running so far but 26 are more on the way, replacing the older Acelas which will be retired.

BOOK EARLY:       We booked our Acela tickets about two weeks in advance and scored senior fares (10% discount) of “only” $204 one way from Stamford to Washington DC.  Waiting at the station to board I heard the ticket agent startle a younger passenger seeking a ticket to DC by quoting her the same-day walk-up fare of $402 one way.  A minute later the helpful agent said she could make the same trip a half-hour later (on the slower train) for half as much.

RESERVED SEATS:         Seats on all Acelas are now reserved.  But don’t trust the seating chart you’ll see online.  When we boarded the train we found our seats faced backwards (not in the direction of travel) and had no window. 

The seats with no window!

But a helpful conductor found us better seats right on his phone.  Consult a third-party seating chart to make sure you get the seats you want.

If you want the Quiet Car, be aware there’s only one car with 59 seats.  Otherwise you’ll be enjoying the “finance bro” across the aisle making deals enroute by phone.

BOARDING ADVICE:        The cars on the NextGen Acela are much shorter than the regular trains, so position yourself carefully on the platform to minimize walking once the train arrives.  I noticed Amtrak staff at each station helping minimize “dwell time” for the train by getting passengers off and on as quickly as possible.

USE THE RED CAPS:       If your train originates at your station, like our return from DC, get priority pre-boarding with the help of the Red Caps.  Avoiding the throngs queueing to board is worth a tip, even with reserved seats.

HOW’S THE RIDE?:         In a word, spectacular.  All the Acelas run no faster than Metro-North in Connecticut, but south of NYC it’s a whole different railroad.  True to its promise our train hit 159 mph on the straightaways in New Jersey and the ride overall was very smooth, unlike the 25-year-old Amfleet cars or the 50-year-old Amfleet cars on the slower trains.

SERVICE:     Enroute the cabin cleaning staff came around to collect trash and Café Car items were available (credit cards only) from a cart moving between the cars.  

The Café Car itself looked great with self-serve windows displaying the food items. But there are no tables to sit down, just some counters where you can perch and munch.  The food offerings were “premium” and priced accordingly. 

Enjoy your lunch, delivered to your seat!

The on-board Wi-Fi was spectacular… truly 5G.

ON-TIME?:   Like many Amtrak trains, even the super-Acela tends to run a few minutes late in Connecticut because of Metro-North traffic.  We departed about ten minutes late from Stamford but, because the schedule is padded, were on time out of Penn Station NY and arrived early in Washington DC.

IS IT WORTH TRYING?:             Yes, at least once.  Amtrak has a lot riding on these new trainsets, so try one soon and you’ll see what the future will be like.

 

TRAVEL NOW... TALK & TEXT LATER

How many of you remember “Car Talk”, the wildly popular NPR show with Tom and Ray Magliozzi, also known as "Click and Clack, the Tappet Brothers"?  Not only were they brothers, but both graduated from MIT.  They were walking encyclopedias of automotive wisdom.  And common sense.

To them, car safety meant more than just mechanics. It meant drivers should be smart about their motoring.  Their popular bumper sticker read “Drive Now, Talk Later”.

They meant talking on cellphones, of course.  But to update their mantra you could add “Text Later”.

That’s actually the law in Connecticut:  All drivers must use hands-free devices for phone calls, and it is illegal to text or use any hand-held mobile device while operating a motor vehicle.  If you’re under age 18 you’re not allowed to use any cell phone, hands-free or otherwise, while driving.  

Last year’s “Put the phone away or pay” campaign in East Hartford and Manchester saw 365 tickets issued in a single month while State Police tallied almost 600 citations in the same period.  And we’re talking a $200 to $625 fine.

But I see it every day… people can’t put down their phones.  I’m behind a guy at a red light.  It changes to green and he doesn’t move, obviously checking his phone. A slight tap on the horn (after a very patient 10 seconds) and he finally takes off.

Are we all so addicted?  I honestly wonder what parents with an SUV full of kids are thinking when they drive down busy streets juggling a latte in one hand and a cellphone in the other.

Once, when stuck in crawling traffic on I-95, I actually saw a guy reading a book. I’ve seen other drivers shaving or putting on make-up. Give me a break!
But I’d carry that message of attentive commuting to other travel environments as well, especially on the train.

Several years ago, while serving on the CT Rail Commuter Council, I tried to persuade Metro-North to establish “Quiet Cars” on their trains… cellphone free environments where riders seeking peace wouldn’t need to hear some self-centered hedge-fund dealer yelling at his trading desk in a voice that carries through the entire car.

“Hey. It’s me.” Who cares? “I’m on the train”. Yeah, I know. “Just thought I’d check in on that last trade.” I wish I could check out.

Years after Amtrak and other commuter rail systems adopted “Quiet Cars”, Metro-North finally agreed to give it a try in 2011.  But they never enforced the rules and dropped the plan, using Covid as the excuse.

If we used to have smoking and non-smoking cars, why can’t we have “Quiet Cars” as well?  The problems of annoying chatter persist.  A ticket on the train buys you transportation, not the right to annoy your fellow passengers with a recitation of your woes.

A friend on Metro-North says she was seated next to a woman on the phone complaining to a friend about her day and a splitting headache.  When she hung up my friend asked if she needed a Tylenol.  Cell-lady gave her a “Hrumph” and accused her of eavesdropping.

What’s the proper etiquette for cellphone use on the train?

Try to make the call short and at a low speaking volume, and cup your hand around the mouthpiece. If a longer call is necessary, get out of your seat and talk in the vestibule.  And to make sure that incoming calls don’t bother anyone, leave your phone on vibrate.

It’s just a matter of consideration of your fellow riders.

 

HOW SAFE ARE E-BIKES AND SKATEBOARDS?

 As if our roads weren’t dangerous enough already, there’s a new generation of “personal mobility vehicles” (PMV) silently swishing around our streets for us to worry about:  electric scooters and skateboards.

The scooters (about $1400) can go 30 mph.  The skateboards (about $700) top out at 32 mph).  But following simple instructions on the web, the speed governor can be disabled allowing even faster speeds…up to 60 mph.  That modification is illegal in Connecticut.

Only ONE rider per device

Many adults and kids use this new gear responsibly.  Parents love them as it gives their kids mobility (meaning less chauffeuring).  But even at slower speeds these vehicles are dangerous, their riders unprotected in the event of a fall or collision. 

In July a 15-year-old in Trumbull was killed on his e-bike when he was hit by a car.

That’s why new laws are coming in Connecticut October 1^st regulating these devices.

If your e-scooter has no pedals (so it’s not a moped) and a motor over 750 watts (allowing speeds over 30 mph), you’ll need a driver’s license. 

E-bikes with motors over 3,500 watts (meaning speeds over 50 mph) must be registered and insured like a motorcycle, and a motorcycle endorsement is required on your license to ride them. 

Unless the scooter is built for two seats, passengers are not allowed.  And e-bikes of all types are not allowed on sidewalks.

It is illegal to operate any motorized vehicle with a seat lower than 26 inches on public roads. That includes many of the smaller scooters and mini-motorbikes that are often marketed toward children.

Everyone on an e-bike or skateboard under the age of 18 must wear a helmet.

E-skateboards are not allowed to drive faster than 20 mph.  Riders must be at least 15 years old but the vehicles do not need to be registered if under that speed limit.  Local laws may be stricter for safety.  Best to ask your Police Department.

If all of these new regulations seem confusing or overly  restrictive, read the recent Op-Ed by State Rep Tracy Marra which started with the eye-catching headline… “I saw your kid almost die today”.

Increased mobility is great.  But safety must always come first.

If you’re a driver you already know how disconcerting it can be when these e-devices come hurtling along, almost silently and without notice.  But you’re the one driving a ton of steel, so give them their space.

Can law enforcement keep up with all this?  Should they be responsible?

As one First Selectman said the other day:  “It’s not a good thing to have police chasing after ten, eleven and 12 year olds on bikes and ticketing them.  I’m not anxious to take a police officer away from other enforcement operations.”

What’s the answer, if not enforcement?  Education and parental responsibility.

There’s no way teens can afford these e-bikes on their allowance money.  They’re obviously being purchased by parents, happy to get out of squiring them around from school to dance class to the Y.  Those parents should be responsible for making sure their kids are safe… and legal.

We all love our kids, right?

 

 

 

 

SUMMER TRANSPORTATION HIGHLIGHTS

I’ve always thought of Labor Day as New Year’s Eve.  After a summer of vacations the new business year has begun and we’re back to the grind.  But while you’ve been enjoying the summer (me, too!) we need to get updated on what’s been happening on our roads, rails and waters.

TRAFFIC DEATHS DOWN SLIGHTLY:            On a hopeful note, only 143 highway deaths have been tallied in our state as of mid-August… hopeful, compared to 196 deaths by the same time last year.  Credit should go to the State and local Police Departments for cracking down on reckless drivers and speeders.  But of some concern, there’s been an increase in fatalities and injuries involving e-bikes as new laws regarding their operation take effect October 1^st.

USING A.I. TO KEEP HIGHWAYS SAFE:         It’s been a while since we’ve had a wrong-way crash on our interstates and parkways, thanks in part to artificial intelligence (A.I.).  CDOT has installed tech at 150 on and off ramps looking for people as they enter the highway in the wrong direction, setting off flashing lights and alerting the State Police.

HIGHER FARES ON TRAINS:     As predicted, fares on all of our trains went up 5% as of September 1^st.  What a nice way to welcome back commuters!  And another 5% jump is coming next July.  Bus fares were not affected.

WORK FROM HOME:       Higher rail fares (with the same slow service) and unending traffic are other reasons more than 17% of Connecticut residents chose to work remotely.  In some towns the numbers are much higher:  39% of Weston residents and 36% in Westport. 

NEXTGEN ACELA:           Years late, the nifty new Acela trains started running between Boston and Washington on August 28^th.  Train fan that I am, I saw it run past on it’s debut run… already 12 minutes late.  Though they’re capable of 160 mph, they run no faster (and sometimes slower) than Metro-North.  Congestion and delays affect even Amtrak’s flagship trainsets.  Kind of like putting a Maserati on I-95 at rush hour.

Back in the Metroliner days, Amtrak offered partial fare refunds if your train was 15 minutes late.  Last Tuesday’s Next-Gen Acela train (9-2-25) was 30 minutes late into Stamford and 45 minutes late into Washington DC.  If your train is 2+ hours late you have to contact Customer Relations to plead your case.

SPIRIT AIRLINES CHAPTER 11 – TAKE 2:     The Ultra-Low-Cost airline has filed for bankruptcy again, just months after emerging from its last filing in 2024.  The airline blames financial and operational difficulties: underwhelming demand, excess flight capacity, mounting debt and high operating costs.  For now, Spirit plans to continue flying out of Bradley airport.

SHIPPING DWI:      The captain of the 100,000 ton container ship MSC Jubilee IX was arrested last month by the Coast Guard and charged with DWI.  When the Seattle harbor pilot boarded he said he smelled a strong odor of alcohol and called the authorities.  The captain said it was just his mouthwash but a breathalyzer test showed a blood alcohol of 0.25, six times the legal limit.

Amazingly, local laws call this only a misdemeanor with a $1000 fine.  But the captain undoubtedly faces severe consequences.  The ship continued its journey without him.

 

 

A TRANSPORTATION CENTENNIAL

In the history of American transportation, there is one crucial intersection between the railroads and civil rights:  the formation, exactly 100 years ago this week in August 1925, of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car porters by A. Phillip Randolph.  This was the first predominantly African-American labor union in the US.

A Philip Randolph

PULLMAN CARS

It was in 1862 that George Pullman launched the first deluxe railroad sleeping cars bearing his name.  They were an instant hit, offering middle and upper-class passengers the comforts of home while on the rails.

All of the Pullman Car conductors were white but the porters (who tended to the passengers) were black.  Many of them were former slaves.  Pullman theorized they would be used to the subservient roles of lugging baggage, making up the sleeping berths and serving the white passengers’ every whim.

After they retired for the night, passengers could place their shoes in a small compartment accessible from the corridor where the porters would retrieve and shine them while passengers slept.

LONG HOURS, LOW PAY

Pullman’s porters had to be on call 20 hours a day, serving passengers and tending to boardings at intermediate stations

Porters worked 400 hours per month with their time off being uncompensated.  They had to pay for their own uniforms, meals and shoe shine kits.  Between runs, even away from home, they paid for their own lodging. The hours they spent before and after each trip preparing and cleaning the car were also unpaid… much like some present day flight attendants.

In 1926 the average porter earned $72 a month in wages and got about $58 a month in tips.  In contrast, Pullman’s white conductors (who had a union) earned $150 for a 240 hour month, plus benefits and a pension.

Still, Pullman’s black porters made a good income compared to other black workers, allowing many to enter the middle class in railroad hub cities like Chicago and St Louis.

As one historian put it, a Pullman porter had the best job in his community and the worst job on the train.  There was no room for promotion.  Passengers often referred to Pullman porters by demeaning names like “boy”, or “George”, applying the first name of the Pullman cars’ owner.

UNIONIZATION

In 1925 A. Phillip Randolph started organizing The Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters under the rallying cry “Fight or be slaves”.  It took a decade of court battles and the threat of a national strike before the union was recognized in 1937, giving porters a big wage hike and a 240 hour per month work schedule.

Randolph and others in the Brotherhood went on to become leaders of the civil rights movement.  One porter, Edgar D. Nixon, helped organize the Montgomery Alabama bus boycott after Rosa Parks’ arrest in 1955.  

Among other famous Pullman porters were future US Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, activist Malcolm X and photographer Gordon Parks.

By the 1950’s train service was in decline and in 1959 Pullman closed up its sleeping car business.  Some porters went on to work with the legacy railroads and a few were still around when Amtrak took over.

In 1981 when the Pullman company delivered its last Superliner sleeping car, it was named after George Pullman.  Years later, after Randolph had passed away, another Amtrak sleeping car was named in his honor. 

 

NEXTGEN ACELA - WORTH THE WAIT?

 

Amtrak’s oldest new trains are arriving shortly: the NextGen Acela (finally) starts running between Washington and Boston on August 28^th.

Ordered in 2016 for $1.8 billion, the first trains arrived from the Alstom assembly facility in Hornell NY in 2020.  That meant jobs there for 1300 workers and business for 180 suppliers across 29 states.  These new trains are 95% “made in the USA”.

Like any new trains, the new Acelas required extensive testing, especially for crash worthiness and compatibility with the aging tracks and wires in the Northeast Corridor.  That’s when the problems started.

Even before field testing, it took Amtrak 14 attempts to finally pass computer simulations.  In road testing, windows shattered, there was water corrosion and leaks in the hydraulic tilting system.  Road testing also found issues with the trains’ wheels’ traction on our old tracks. And the pantographs (drawing electric power from the overhead catenary wires) kept losing contact at high speed.  Some 129 field modifications were ordered. 

That’s why these sleek new trains are about three or four years “late”.  But was it worth the wait?

Twenty-eight train sets are on order but only five will be in service to start, the rest going into service by 2027.  They’ll replace the first-gen Acelas which have been running for up to 27 years, accumulating millions of miles of travel.

Despite constant maintenance and repairs, the older Acelas have been showing their age.  Reports indicate that some train sets have been stored, cannibalized for spare parts to keep the other aging trains running.    Eventually the old trains will all be scrapped. 

Is the NextGen Acela ready for prime time?  We shall see. But beware of the PR hype coming your way from Amtrak, proclaiming NextGen Acela as the savior of American passenger rail.

Make no mistake… these are nice new trains.  The train sets will be bigger: nine cars vs.six, carrying up to 386 passengers vs 304.  And the new Acela trains can add three more cars if needed while the old Acela consists were permanently coupled.  And with more train sets, there will hopefully be a greater frequency of service. 

The interior of the new cars looks sweet… comfy seats, fold-down tables, power plugs and more wheelchair spots.  There will be a new Café Car and promised (free) 5G Wi-Fi connectivity.  Seating will be 2 x 2 in Business Class (there is no coach class) and 2 x 1 in First Class with meals there brought to your seat. The windows will be larger and the ride is said to be smoother, even at top speed.

But here’s where the hyperbole hits the tracks.

The NextGen Acelas are being described as offering “160 mph” speeds.  But there are only 32 miles of the 457 mile tracks from DC to Boston that can handle those speeds… four miles in New Jersey and 28 miles in Rhode Island and Massachusetts. 

In Connecticut the new Acelas, like the old ones, will go no faster than Metro-North… maybe up to 90 mph in a few stretches.  You can blame our many bridges and curving tracks for the lower speed limits.

There is no word yet on fares, though they will probably match existing Acela fares.  This is already an expensive ride:  one-way from Stamford to Boston is about $330 in Business class and $573 in First (compared to $134 and $227 on the slower, 50+ year old Amfleet Northeast Regional trains).  Running time on Acela, about three hours.  On the older trains, three and a half hours.

Are those fares worth the promised speed and comfort?  Maybe if you’re on an expense account.  But I’ll take it for a spin (on my own dime) and will let you know.

WOODSTOCK ON THE TAPPAN ZEE

 

Continuing our summer reprise of some older columns, here’s an update on memories of years past…

This week marks the 56th anniversary of the grand-daddy of all rock festivals… Woodstock. I was in my teens the summer of 1969, but couldn’t get off from my job to join the swarms of rock fans. But I did see most of them.

That summer I was as a “temp seasonal” toll collector on the Tappan Zee Bridge, joining Westchester and Rockland counties across the mighty Hudson River.

Toll Booth 1954

Most days life as a toll collector on the Tappan Zee was a delight, as I was usually assigned to the far outside lane, also known as “the country club” because of its green vistas and views of the mighty Hudson River.

There were two things I learned in that job: how to roll quarters and how to listen to the radio. The tiny toll booths lacked air conditioning, but I could bring a fan or a radio. My portable FM entertained me eight hours a day as I listened to both the music and the FM DJ’s… a job I eventually earned at Long Island’s WLIR after college graduation.

New York’s FM stations were buzzing about Woodstock for weeks, and that Friday and much of Saturday, it seemed that every kid in the tri-state area was heading for Yasgur’s Farm. Most weekends were pretty crazy in my toll collecting job, because in those days tolls were collected in both directions… fifty cents north-bound and fifty cents coming home. (Today the toll is $6.75 roundtrip, if you have an E-ZPass).

Busy as it was on summer weekends on that bridge, nobody expected a half-million people would show up heading to Woodstock, especially not the folks at the NY Thruway Authority. But after the rock fest was well underway, the Thruway brass realized the mobs would eventually be heading home, clogging the bridge. Because the music was expected to end late on Sunday, many of us temp-collectors worked overtime into the wee hours of Monday morning.

Late into the night we had five toll lanes open southbound, most of us enjoying some handsome overtime. However, traffic was so light, they sent us home by about 1 am.  But I was due back in the booth five hours later.

Of course, the music didn’t end until early that Monday morning, meaning that the usual morning rush hour carried as many burned-out hippies as it did regular business commuters. I remember one station wagon that pulled in to my toll lane, caked in mud up to the windows and stuffed with a dozen zonked-out kids.

“Hey man,” said the driver with bloodshot eyes that struggled to focus. “We don’t have any money” (to pay the 50 cent toll). “How about these instead?” That day, his Tappan Zee toll was an orange and a warm Coke.

Later that summer, after being reassigned to the New Rochelle toll barrier on the New England Thruway, I learned about the “exact change” lanes.  As folks threw their change into the basket, the coins went into a machine with rotating discs and holes the size of nickels, dimes and quarters. As the coins fell though the holes, their value was totaled and the driver could pull away.

What I didn’t know was the people threw more than coins into those baskets.

One day, while inside the booth removing change buckets, I heard a car stop in the lane outside followed by an ominous thump. Not the clinking of change, but a thump.

Imagine my horror as I watched an entire orange work its way down the change chute, hitting the rotating discs like a food processor, spewing orange juice and peel everywhere over the machinery, the buckets of coins and me.

Oh, for those days back in “the country club lane” back on the Tappan Zee!