Is Amtrak’s Acela Express REALLY worth the money? 

The poor ride quality is due to poor track maintenance. It's a general problem across the US. I used to commute on the NE regional train and I always had the same almost spilled drink experience.

Heya. American that recently rode the Acela Express recently, let me fill people in regarding this trip. Between New York City, New York and Westerly, Rhode Island is THE SLOWEST part of the Northeast Corridor in its entirety. With an average speed of around 70 MPH, with major dips into 30 MPH in some areas, such as New Rochelle (NY), Stamford (CT), and Bridgeport (CT) and 15MPH at New London (CT, not shown in this trip). The Northeast Regional (the slower option) can match the Acela's time schedule between NYC Penn Station and New Haven Union Station if the Northeast Regional doesn't stop at Bridgeport and New Rochelle (which some don't) To answer the question pitched about why the Acela Express doesn't stop at Bridgeport. It's a combination of things. 1. It doesn't have a good power-to-weight ratio, meaning that since both the Northbound and Southbound bends are an incline (departing from Bridgeport), it will get stuck at Bridgeport. 2. The station platform itself is too narrow. What I mean by that is that due to station side ramps being used for handicapped users, it is quite hard for handicapped users to board and leave the train. 3. The travel numbers that go to Bridgeport is rather low. Combined with the fact that Bridgeport only has 2 platforms and 2 passing tracks, the ordeal of moving the Acela Express to stop would cause more congestion, lost time, and the fact that it would get stuck. Is the Acela Express worth it? On short trips like how Superalbs did, no not even close. On longer distance trips such as DC to NYC or NYC to Boston, yes For comparison, using 2 months in advance and comparing a 20% full Northeast Regional and a 20% full Acela Express for a NYC to New Haven Trip, using the cheapest options. The Northeast Regional costs 17 USD, whereas the Acela Express costs 39 USD. (Since this is technically operated by the government that is the total price, no tax), and the Northeast Regional takes about 5 minutes longer. The prices of train tickets go up the fuller the train is and sooner the date is. The Acela Express has an allowed top speed of 150 MPH and Northeast Regional has an allowed top speed of 125 MPH. This is what allows for faster travel times when you aren't in Connecticut or New York on the Northeast Corridor. Especially in Rhode Island and Massachusetts area where the Acela can get up to its 150 mph speed capabilities. I hope this helps anyone who maybe wondering.

Nice review. You did manage to pick the slowest portion of the entire Northeast Corridor however. There is a brief 100 mph sprint just out of New York after crossing the Hell Gate Bridge, but then from New Rochelle to New Haven the entire segment is owned by Metro North Commuter Railroad and has an 80 mph top speed, with most of it slower given the many curves and movable bridges. Had you continued on from New Haven toward Providence and Boston, it would have become a much different ride as that's where the Acela's active tilt capability and higher speed becomes evident. (Just east of New Haven, there are a couple of 125 mph segments and then once you hit Rhode Island you get to the 150 mph straightaways.)

That trip was completed at an average 45 mph - on a 150 mph train! I hope the track is due for an upgrade from the Infastructure Bill.

I am glad others have pointed out that New York to New Haven is the absolute worst section to take the Acela. Not only is it the slowest portion of the whole trip, but there are frequent and decently cheap commuter trains (as he mentioned) on that route. As such, there’s no reason to take the Acela between these cities, as it makes no sense at all: it saves no time and costs much more. However, the Acela can be an hour or more faster for trips like Boston-Philadelphia, Baltimore-Providence, etc, and for that it can be worth it if you want a quicker trip than the regional.

The best way to judge Acela is trying DC to NYC or all the way to Boston. There are many sections >120mph. You also need to try several breakfast and lunch items in the cafe. Some are pretty good. I just completed a 5.75 hour trip from Wilmington, Delaware to Boston. Prices are not fixed and vary by time of day, day of week, and how far in advance booked. I felt it was a good value. A smooth and quiet ride for most of it except the one section in you rode in Connecticut. Flying this same route costs twice as much and adds the hassles of flying.

It is slow, but that’s our slowest section. Especially on Metro North CP216 to CP274

I recently took (Feb 2023) the Acela on a round-trip from DC to NYC and it cost $71 for each leg, I booked 2 months in advance. The trip is 200 miles and there is now a 17 mile section of track in New Jersey where the Acela gets to the top speed of 150 mph. DC to NYC is the best route to take the Acela on

I used to travel on Amtral's Metroliner, Acela's predecessor, back in the 70's/80's. Train service on the East coast hasn't changed much since then. The US went from trains to planes. Hopefully, it will some daycatch up to the rest of the world with high-speed electric trains.

Interesting that by comparison, London to Southampton is the same distance, and the trains do it in 1 hour 15 minutes, at a maximum speed of 100mph. Slam-door commuter trains used to do it in 1 hour 06 minutes in the 1980s, but like most things, it has got slower since then. The rest of the Acela line is much better (Washington - New York and New London to Boston). The part you went will need massive infrastructure investment to allow for higher speed.

One of the biggest problems with commuter rail in the U.S. is that most of the rail network is owned by freight haulers, with commuter service taking leftovers and yielding priority to freight trains. And freight haulers don't care about your tea spilling. I live in France now, and I've worked all over Europe. Rail is the best way to travel here.

The Acela I's locomotives are actually based on third-generation TGV designs. They were heavily modified to fit the FRA's stricter weight requirements vs the EU. The top operational speed of the current Acela trainsets is actually 160 mph not 150 mph. The Acela routinely tested at 160 mph back in the day. But the right of way itself is currently only rated at 150 mph top speed. With the introduction of the Alstom Avelia Liberty trains, which are a subvariant of the Alstom Avelia/TGV-M, the top speed of the track will be raised to 160 mph. The actual top speed of the tilting variant of the Avelia Liberty will be 186 mph, but they could only reach that speed on the NEC in the distant future after more sections are upgraded to higher speeds.

Here's a train I wish to sample too. But you picked up the NECs worst section, wich incidentally doesn't belongs to Amtrak (it's owned by MTA & CT). Despite a modern signalling system (with PTC included), and some modernized tracks, most of the Catenary, some bridges and some tracks are really old, hence the subpar ride. Generally speaking, top speed is only 75Mph with lots of restrictions. That's why the train has a really leisurely schedule, and with a lot of padding, because NYP to New Haven can be done in 1h30 or less

Took it last year (DC to Boston). As a Euro, I found it a bit more shaky than e.g. ICE or TGV, but the leg room made up for it. Easily the best way to travel the Megalopolis. If traveling south to north, make sure to it on the right side while traveling from NY to Boston, the views are great!

At the time Bridgeport station was reconstructed, it was turned into a local station. This limits operational use of Bridgeport even for Metro-North. The other issue is despite its population, Bridgeport probably does not attract enough ridership to justify the time taken to stop (and switch tracks).

Hav'nt watched yet, but I got so happy when I saw you had a new video out! Keep going man, love your vids

Excellent coverage of the experience. I appreciate all the little details too! 👍🏻

Others may have commented on this, but traveling on the Acela for such a short trip isn't really a fair comparison. You should have gone to Boston or Washington DC to see if it was worth it. For short trips use the Northeast Regional.

There’s a ~$31 Pacific Surfliner train from Los Angeles to San Diego I’ve always wanted to try. It’s conventional diesel, not HSR, and I don’t know the ride quality but the view is amazing as you go along the coast.

Awesome video can’t wait for your next video

In 2014 I travelled on this train from Boston down to DC. I’ve just had a look through my emails and I paid $290 for a business class seat. Which considering it was an eight hour trip was an absolute bargain. I found it comfortable but functional. But the business class thing was nice because it was quieter the seats were larger and it included as much free booze as I could get down my neck. Which considering I’d watched a Super Bowl playoff game the night before and didn’t get to bed till 5 am was quite welcome because it kept the hangover at bay for another day. Best part of this journey was going through the outskirts of New York and crossing over or under The east River into Penn Station. Which of course is weird because it’s under ground. But for me it was the first time I’ve seen the New York skyline and as we travel through Queens down into Brooklyn and then turned under the river, it was quite the buzz to see the New York skyline for me for the first time in my life. My final destination was DC and rather than flying into DC I flew into Boston just so I could take the train journey down across all the states and see the views. Absolutely spectacular when he got across the top of Chesapeake Bay especially as I was there in January and it was all frozen over. Highly recommend that trip if you want to see the east coast in a nice fashion.

Just a correction ont he lounge usage only First and Sleeper (Roomette and Bedroom) passenger are granted access to the lounge all business class passenger have to pay in NYC. Lounge access rules can vary throughout the country. But typically lounges with Acela service require first or sleeper while other lounges in the Midwest and West Coast only require business or sleeper.

I took the Acela from Philadelphia to NYC last month as I thought I had better ride on one before they are replaced. I was impressed with the speed on that part of the route but I know the track north of NYC is very slow. It cost $45 compared to $19 for NER both advance fares. The walk on Fares for Amtrak are very expensive so on the way to Philly I took NJ Transit and SEPTA for $29. These were slower with filthy windows but overall were good for commuter rail.

As many other people mentioned, the stretch between New Rochelle and New Haven is slow and is owned and maintained by the states of New York and Connecticut. Despite Amtrak pushing them to upgrade their track, they won’t budge. The Acela’s are dated and old, but they are a significant upgrade over the Amfleet cars used on the regional trains, and are much a lot more smooth.

as someone who was born and raised in stamford, it feels good to see it again

Same problem here in Canada. It's the infrastructure, not the trains. This continent had its railways built for freight. For people more interested in the destination than the journey, air travel trumps trains.

That is absurdly slow 🐢

The many track curvatures don't allow for true high speed in most of the Acela route. I often take Amtrak, but for the price difference over the Northeast Regional trains, Acela is not worth it. I only took it once (for fun, from Providence, RI to New Haven) when during pandemic times the price was slashed. So I got to experience one of the few 150 MPH sections. Regional trains routinely hit 80 MPH, and over straight stretches they can get up to 100 or so.

Welcome to my home state of Connecticut...short trip tho... the best part of the State is the north eastern part, rolling hills, forests, and quite a few Bears, the growly kind.. take care and be safe in your travels, i like your personal invitations at the beginning of your videos.. 👍👍

Alas, you chose the worst section of the Acela to ride if you wanted to experience the speed.

The advantages of the Acela come if you're a business traveler (and your company is picking up for the cost). I've taken Acela between many of the East Coast cities and it allows me to get home at a decent time after a day trip for work in a different city. The reserved seats and dedicated overhead bins are a plus. And as soon as I'm on the train, I can open my computer and start working - which you can't do on a plane, because you need to have your computer put away for the first and last 30 min of the flight. Usually, I can get online and send a couple of emails. Sometimes I plan the business trip so that my dinner is the one offered on the train. And since the train takes you right into a city center, you don't need to rent a car drive into the city from an airport. The advantage of Acela seems to increase somewhere around the "2-cities" point... if you're going from Washington DC to Philadelphia, skipping Baltimore, or from New York to Boston, skipping the smaller New England cities. At a certain point, the overall time on the ground for a train puts the advantage with the airlines. But you'll have to weigh that versus how far you'll have to Uber or drive to your final destination.

I took Acela all the way from DC to Boston a couple of years ago. I booked pretty far in advance an the whole journey was about $200. I'm glad I've done it once but will have to be hard pressed to do it again. The tracks between DC and New York were in much better shape than NY to Boston. It only hit 150 mph on a couple of sections somewhere north of NY, and the ride quality there was horrific.

Great job.

September 1938: The New York, New Haven and Hartford RR ran six trains from Penn Sta to New Haven (the bulk ran from Grand Central): The Federal took 1 hour 50mins; The New Englander 1 hour 43 mins; The Pilgrim 1 hour 36 mins; The Colonial 1 hour 40 mins; The Senator 1 hour 37 mins and The Montrealer 1 hour 40 mins. 84 years and 6 months later journey times are still roughly the same. Surely, before one can run a high speed service there has to be investment in infrastructure. Without it high speed trains are almost worthless, and I do take Snivy Films point.

Great trip, and yeah Finally US trip. Talking about Acela, this train should be deserve dedicated track to reach optimum speed. And talking about Northeast Corridor, this corridor is the busiest passenger rail line in the US based on ridership and service frequency, that's why this route is considered as the most profitable Amtrak route. And yeah, only at Northeast Corridor you'll find more passenger train than freight train.

Living in CT, I can tell you that Metro North is vastly more popular than Amtrak unless you're going out of state. A one-way trip from Grand Central to New Haven is only $25. It's not much slower than Amtrak if you're taking one of the express routes, and the amenities provided aren't too far off either.

Those Acela trains are very nice I have to say. Very nice trains in the USA.

I am at 0:37. Thx for the intro of "true" high speed train of the U.S. I just saved myself more than 14 mins.

11:47 can you hear the disgust in his voice when he says "scottish"? A true englishman 😂

Most of the line between Penn Station and New York Connecticut state border is own and maintained by the New York State Metropolitan Transportation Authority. The level track quality on that section of the Northeast Corridor is not of the same quality as the sections owned and maintained by Amtrak.

Nice Video, as always! I am be very interested in a ride on China's new high speed rail network, that would be great!

Were the restrictions changed on riding Amtrak to or from New York City with a station also served by Metro North? I used to remember seeing Amtrak schedules where a station like Croton Harmon, Poughkeepsie, Stamford and New Haven would have a footnote next to it, indicating that passengers could not board trains at those stations if going to New York City, or that passengers coming from New York City could not get off at those stations.

Many sections for Philadelphia to DC are 120mph plus. Its 123 miles with 4 (4-5) minute stops. We made it in 1hour 40 minutes

Only going from NYC to New Haven means you won't be going very fast... Half the trip is in the city to be honest. There are some upgrades coming around there eventually, but unfortunately, nothing revolutionary, just new tunnels into Penn Station under the Hudson, and some new bridges in the area.

Moynihan represented New York State not New York City. Also, isn't Penn station in Lower Manhattan, not central, though LIRR do now serve central Manhattan with Madison extension.

Loved the video although wonder what your issue is with Scottish looking curtains. Said in jest always enjoy your work

2:02 The reason it doesn't have seating is that the station was probably built with the expectation that in the future the station might have trains every few minutes or less. In Europe, I think not many stations have seating (don't quote me on that)

0:58: wow well-lit little plaza, lovely muggers' outdoor lounge; hoped you're armed!

Ouch, managed to ride the absolute worst and slowest part of the NEC. The NEC through Connecticut as a whole is in need of straightening and bridge replacements, and that particular stretch has a number of heavy speed restrictions partly due to a derailment in 2013 and the subsequent ongoing feud between Amtrak and Metro North.

Hell yes it is ! Less riffraff more comfortable seats & faster arrivals.

I travelled on the Acela in 2017 from NYC to South Boston. My biggest disappointment was that the seat reservation didn't mean a thing, as I had booked a window seat 2 months in advance so I can enjoy the view, which I didn't get until the last 90 miles of the journey. Business class was more like cattle class, first in first served to get a window seat. Seat reservation wasn't worth the price and paper it was written on. My ride wasn't to bad, the start was slow, but eventually we did get up to maximum speed.

Hey superalbs travels had made videos in New Jersey

the US has a lot of work to do… in italy, for example, you can buy a 125 mi from Bologna to Milan for only 14,90€ in standard class (which is a 2+2 configuration), or 20,90€ in business class(which is a 2+1 configuration), and it takes only one hour…

You can also pay $50.00/€46.14 to get access to the First class lounge at Moynihan Station

excuse me. the town is "Greenwich" Old Greenwich is the oldest Neiborhood in Greenwich. also, short trips are expensive on Acela, but Washington to NY is worth it.

I was surprised when u called Gatimaan express' suspension fantastic. Then I saw this video.

Thanks for the update. This is bad news for Metro North regarding maintenance. I wonder how the Long Island Rail Road compares? I just hope that Metro North dosen't become another LIRR from the 1950's when it had many derailments and crashes. Jim

Didn't know CTRail served Stamford. Thought it ended in New Haven.

The Northeast Corridor generally has very good track quality and maintenance allowing for high speeds...except in Connecticut. Connecticut has let its section of the Northeast Corridor languish and deteriorate for at least 20 years or more, leading to longer travel times and less reliable trips. For your journey, the best option would've been to take a Metro North service out of Grand Central.

Nice video

As many said here, you took the slowest section on this line but even on the full line there are very few sections that can support full speed so it is faster than the other option but not by much. The new Avelia Liberty train will not change that as they'll have the same speed restriction (they will be a bit fastre on the few sections that the Acela reaches full speed) but in a fre years, when the new improvment to some sectoon of the NEC (thanks to the infrastructure bill) it will be much faster and.

The NEC row needs some serious upgrade to be truly called "high speed"

You should have taken Acela to Baltimore or DC instead, that's where the train is faster. It's possible to reach DC within 4 hours, which is much faster than driving or flying out of the NYC airports (counting the security, delay and taxi times). I wish that the Acela gets extended into Virginia as a dedicated HSR train.

Nice video. I like what they have done at Penn Station. I travelled on the Acela from Washington to Philly , it did go faster but it certainly isn't real high speed.

“Now the major Acela upgrade, once planned for 2021, might not be on track until sometime in 2024. The Wall Street Journal reports that the new Acela cars are being held up by requirements that mandate the trains are run in a range of real-world conditions before boarding passengers.” Someone reported that the new trains are sitting at the Philadelphia train yard.

Are you planning to ride Brightline in the future?

Yours is probably the only video on RU-vid to showcase the standard waiting area. A breath of fresh air as everyone likes to flex and get first class. Thank you for this!

I firmly agree with your disagreement with the price of the Acela. It’s ludicrous. If Amtrack are trying to attract more customers. They seriously need to rethink their prices

I took both acella and regional between Boston and NYC during my holiday there. My speed test application shows the same speed on both trains.😢

As a Dutchy I recommend the German ICE # 5 high velocity long distance train. Its much more spacious compared with the French Alstohm TGV.

Yes it is not for the reason you think. Business Class is likely to be relatively noise free and may be clean, Toilets/WC excluded. The rest of amtrack on the eastern rail corrador is a Circus...

I'd have thought that Metro North would go from Penn too but maybe they just use Grand Central?

I think the choice to focus on Business Class Acela between these stations was simply a mistake. The most ardent Acela fans would not make that choice. Between Penn Station and New Haven lower fares are available on Metro North and Amtrak Coach. This review did give a good description of the interior of the Acela trains. A fair assessment of the value of using Acela Business Class would need to be between stations where passengers might choose to use that service.

In Greece a distance that is around 93 miles is covered in (1:20 with trains that are not even high speed, but do 2 stops, which are called "fast" trains) and (1:38 with regional trains that do more stops, around 10), and in the USA less distance is covered in more time with high speed trains? How is that possible?

This train could be great, if it was faster and cheaper. Then there would be no doubt on how to travel in the Northeast! It's not worth it now, but it could be soon.

Verygoodpicturhenry

Next ride Brightline!

Senators represent states. Senator Moynihan represented New York state, which is roughly the size of England.

Hello, I will be traveling to the United States and for the first time I will use the train from New York to Boston, it has the Acela and Northest option, is there much difference from one train to another? because in terms of travel time there is not much difference

Acela is where Japan was in the 1970s and Europe in the 1990s. Public transport is a non event in the car/plane based USA. But without the speed!!!!!! Spot the traffic going faster than the train.

One of the big problems that Amtrak faces is that the MTA which owns the tracks in Westchester and Connecticut is that the top speed is 79 mph. That plus the fact that east of New Haven is very twisting therefore the trains can't go very fast.

Acela is best experienced heading from NYC down to Washington DC, that stretch has the most high speed track where the train can spend a good amount of time at 150mph. The irony is, the "low speed" Northeast Regional trains still have a top speed of 125mph so not too much slower than the Acela. The new Avelia Liberty trains are being delayed into service because much of the track can't handle their higher 165mph top speed. Just shows how much effort it would really take to build European level HSR in the US. It would almost be easier to build new HSR from scratch in other regions of the country than to bring the Northeast rail corridor up to HSR standards.

It's cool to share the American rail. Unlike European, it's a shame that most American use cars instead of public transport to travel, even though they have good facilities such as stations & train carriages. I like your video showing us the details of the trains' interior & the explanation of stations on the route. Your British English is perfectly lovely. 😊

Sadly you took worst part of the Acela ride. Going through Connecticut is the slowest part. You should have ridden to Boston.

Super bro..Brilliant video..Absolutely marvelous✅..Very KIYADIYATI.. 🕋👍👌👌

Amtrak long distance passenger trains are reputed to be vastly over-rated. There are videos on here of their First Class and sleeper services, which are both pricey and low quality.

Thank you for mentioning the disability accessible features.

Travelled on Acela last week . Disappointing price wise, and extremely jolty ride

Re: Bridgeport The Acela train you rode skipped Bridgeport. However, that city is very well served by many other trains, both Amtrak and Metro-North commuter service. I can't say why your particular train didn't stop there. Probably, Amtrak analyzed the ridership patterns and determined that other trains would better serve the public. If you want to see something really weird, look at some old railroad timetables for trains that ran before Amtrak was established in 1971. You'll see a lot of stations with service in only one direction. You could take a train from A to B, but there was no train back to A. I own a small library's worth of books about railroads. Also hundreds of magazines, including every issue of "Trains" magazine going back to 1955. In all this vast body of literature, I cannot recall any mention whatsoever of stations with service in only one direction. Like it was perfectly normal. I'll be the first to admit that Amtrak has a LOT of problems. However, it has never subscribed to this lunacy.

13:11 o suspect those cups are supposed to be used when brushing your teeth. Nothing on Earth would convince me to swallow that water lol

Amtrak numbered the Acelas from 2000 to 2020.

Acela might be a "high speed train", if it rides slowly on conventional tracks, it is just a train. The cost therefore is stupedly high. For this journey, that is.

I’ll answer why it doesn’t stop at Bridgeport: classism. The Acela is marketed as a “premium” service, and as such, Amtrak doesn’t find it “economically viable” (heavy air quotes) to serve places “like” Bridgeport. Bridgeport is pretty poor despite being large, so the Acela doesn’t stop there (this is the same reason they recently stopped all Acela Trenton service).

When did this journey take place?

Love your videos. Surprised you rode the Acela - it's kind of embarrassing. It looks so bumpy and janky compared to many Euro trains. I am new to this/your channel. Be interesting if you ride some of the trains in Japan, like several of them. You should find them to be quite clean and running on time. I've seen Japanese buses that look clean enough to eat food off the floor (which would be a no-no in Japan).

There is no high speed rail in the US because there are no high speed lines. Only the Amtrak NEC.

Generally speaking the Amtrak tickets are way more expensive than they should be (and are in other countries) for what you get. And they're well aware of the food situation being exorbitant, since they recommend budget-minded coach passengers to bring your own lockable cooler...

What will happen to Acela once the Avelia gets to service? Will it be scraped or refurbished to run elswhere?

Did this train have wifi?

Awesome video! You picked the wrong state to travel on the Acela. New York-New Haven is the slowest part of the entire NE Corridor with an average speed of 75 ish mph. Its too curvy and lacks proper maintenance. West of New Haven you can reach speeds up to 90 and in Rhode Island and Massachusetts's you can reach 150 MPH. The section you should try next is NY to Philly or Washington DC on the Acela. Much "higher speeds" like 150 MPH in New Jersey and 135 mph in Delaware and Maryland. The rest is around 125 mph on that stretch. Once the Avelia liberty starts service, the 150 mph speeds will be increased to 160/165 mph. The Acela has great potential but with the current speeds and aging infrastructure, save your money and use the regional. Its only 25 minutes slower than the Acela and is MUCH cheaper! Keep it up!