Sept. 5, 2023: Finally-the Acela!

This is one of those trips that falls under into the category of "you only live once."

I don't mean that in a bad way. What I mean by that is, I've been wanting to ride the Acela since I was 9. That's how old I was when it first started running, essentially as a replacement to Amtrak's Metroliners at the turn of the 21st century. With a top speed of 150 mph, it is the fastest train in America. 

Here's the thing though -- the Acela is super expensive. A one-way ride between New York and Washington might run you 3 or 4 times the price of a regular Northeast Regional. Acela is geared toward business travelers, and people who don't mind ponying up a little dough for a slightly faster journey. 

Having said all of that, I wanted to try it once. My day began with a nice, slow ride back into downtown Boston on the T's Red Line. It appeared many young people were using the UMass station this morning. 

Just after 9 a.m., we boarded Acela train 2159 at South Station, which is the northern terminus of the Northeast Corridor. My impression of the train's interior upon boarding was almost that of an airplane. There are overhead luggage bins that open and close, unlike the traditional luggage rack you find on traditional Amtrak trains. There seemed to be slightly more room than on regular trains, although I don't think it was by much. 

Acela also is somewhat similar to an airline, in that you are assigned a seat when you purchase a ticket. All cars are either business class or first class. I chose business class, as it was the cheapest option. 

As we left South Station on time I had a chance to take in the view of the city, which I had not seen coming in last night. 

Our train went slowly as we made stops at Boston Back Bay Station and Route 128. Once we got out of the metropolitan area, we picked up speed. The smooth motion of the train does resemble that of European trains I've been on to some degree. But the U.S. obviously is a long way behind the curve in the area of high speed rail. I'm not sure we even hit 150 mph on the section between Boston and New York.

Eric and I made our way to the cafe car for lunch. I was curious to see what the bougie version of an Amtrak cafe would look like on the Acela. The main difference is that rather than the tables and booths that you'd find on most trains, the Acela has barstool-style seating at counters that run lengthwise through the car. The counter where the attendant takes orders from customers is at one end, as opposed to the traditional setup of being in the middle of the car.

I had the banh mi chicken sandwich for lunch. It was tasty, but ultimately a bit overpriced. 

The train whisked us through Rhode Island, Connecticut and eventually into the New York region. We slowed down as we made our way into the Bronx, and stopped briefly due to trackwork in the area. After about 10 minutes, we began moving again, heading over the East River on the Hell Gate Bridge and into Queens. The approach into New York from the northeast is particularly cool, because the train is riding on elevated track. The tall buildings of Manhattan in the background provide a lovely juxtaposition with everything in the immediate line of sight, from baseball diamonds to houses.

Just before we entered the tunnel that goes into Manhattan, we passed Sunnyside Yard. The yard is used by Amtrak to store and service trains when not in use. Since many north-south trains on the East Coast start and end in New York, this is where the equipment is stored. 

We pulled into Penn Station a bit late, but we would end up leaving on time due to significant padding in the schedule. Virtually our entire car emptied out here, and then promptly filled up again with a hoard of new passengers. 

The remainder of the trip down to D.C. was smooth and uneventful. I've been on the route enough times, I won't go into too much detail. 

Although I didn't track the speed of the Acela during this trip, it did seem like we went much faster once we reached New Jersey than we had on the first leg of the trip. It could be that there are fewer curves on this portion of the route. 

We arrived back at Union Station just about on time. As Eric and I disembarked with the throng of travelers making their way to the Nation's Capital on this Tuesday afternoon, I felt a sense of accomplishment at having finally done the thing and taken America's high speed train. But overall I'd say it wasn't anything special or life changing. As mentioned earlier, tickets are a lot more expensive than regular Northeast Regionals, and you only save a half hour at best. Bottom line: Acela probably isn't worth it unless someone else is paying, or you're like me and you want to experience every train once for the heck of it. 

Since I'm like me, I'm glad I got to experience it once!