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.