New York City to Boston onboard the Acela Express FIRST CLASS review 

I do agree as I took this trip 4-5 years ago. Sad to soooo many empty seats.

I fully agree

Agree too many channels weather it’s transit or cooking or whatever are obnoxious with music

Silence is Golden when beautiful scenery is involved.

Yes, many vloggers are interested in getting their own face recorded, instead of content.

I find train travel much more relaxing, much less stressful especially if it’s raining or storming or windy or snowing or icy or busy.. and, if the train was to have mechanical issues, such as a flock of birds,they don’t fall off the ground

In the U.S., the airline and auto industry have purchased the appropriate parts of the government to ensure that it never happens, although there is one minor HSR in Florida last I read, and they tried to build one in California but everyone involved was corrupt and just pocketed the money so the project is basically bankrupt. Our government at every level is corrupt beyond comprehension.

@H. Nguyen I'd love to but my body isn't in great condition now. Getting old sucks.

@@spaceboy3101, the CHSR is still being built; where did you get your info?

Simply put Penn Station is Amtrak's busiest station, with some ten million passengers annually. The Atlanta airport serves more than one hundred million annually. New York's JFK, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, and Los Angeles not that far behind. America flies long distances, not take short regional train rides like most Europeans. The flight from London to Tel Aviv is five hours, the flight from New York City to Los Angeles is five and a half hours, six hours from Boston... There is a reason why the USPS terminated the railroads mail contracts. There is a reason why UPS and FedEx fly their packages instead of using trains...

Yeah, either that or like 5 minutes in advance, so that everyone has forgotten about it when it's actually happening :D

Quatsch! This is nonsense!

depends on the train station - most of the times the alarm sounds when the train passes at the track signal.

An announcement I like in Scotland is "fast train approaching", then it bounces through the station at 10mph

And then down the stationary escalator

The giant billboards and a homeless person within the first 30 seconds of the video confirmed that this is NYC indeed

Bonus points for making no mention or even glancing at the homeless person. Kudos though (to the homeless guy). I don't think I've seen someone sleeping in that spot before. Sometimes you just end up where you end up. :P

@@srgtjyn2765 All that is missing is someone begging the videographer for their spare money.

ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-LW4ccYw6BNo.html

Lol

Just chillin.

Yikes. What kind of life do you have to lead to be passed out cold on the steps of Penn station, in your best khakis and new white shirt, Your lunch beside you half in its wrapper on the cold wet ground and some you tube vlogger stepping around you to get a shot... I repeat Yikes.

@@markjonesse2556 Unfortunately, a drunk or an addict.

And your point is?

Its average speed for the whole trip is more like 60 mph though. It can only go 150 for what, 20 miles? Of course since cities are much closer together in the NEC than out here in California, train travel is a lot faster than it is in most of the USA. Just don't lose sight of the fact that for the most part, cities are too far apart here to justify it. For example, if you leave the NEC and go to the next population center to the west, probably Chicago, you have to go 790 miles. A plane can do it in 2.5 hours, a TGV averaging 173 would take 4.5 hours, so the plane is saving two hours of your life.

@@neutrino78x as if everyone taking the train and “wasting” 2.5 hours more actually cares that much and if they did they’d take a place.

@@pattycarljackson explain why Americans currently fly then? Why not drive across the country and save money? Because they need to get there in a reasonable period of time, and to do that they need to fly. Why the fuck would you want to waste two hours of your life and when another vehicle is available that saves that time? Maybe in Europe where they salivate over public transit and feel compelled to use it even if it sucks, but here On The Frontier -- USA, Canada and Australia -- the product has to actually be good. And HSR, SPECIFICALLY FOR THE DISTANCES HERE, NOT IN EUROPE WHERE IT WORKS OK, sucks. The TGV's average speed of 173 mph seems really fast when you're going 200 miles. But major cities are usually more like 500 or 1500 miles apart here. So that's slow as fuck out here.

En Florida hay un tren como el ave en España aunque la velocidad es inferior es de Miami a Orlando es nuevo

@@neutrino78x No no no, cities being far away is NO excuse for not having highspeed rail. China has highspeed rail all over their country and theres parts were it traverses hundreds of miles between cities, China is a huge country with most of its major cities on the east coast.....So NO. stop making excuses for our pathetic government. Highspeed rail shouldve been a priority years ago. anything "infrastructure' related should have been #1 priority. Now we are paying for it. literally.

autismspeaks on the NYC to DC segments the trains only reach 125mph compared to 150mph on NYC to Boston even though there are plans to change that. And I agree the limited stop Acela should come back when there is more travel demand. The biggest improvement for the Avelia Liberty is that it should be cheaper because it has a larger capacity and can fill demand better.

Banks Rail maybe sustained speed is a better metric? I’ve taken both legs off the journey fairly often and I usually run the speedmeter app and the NYC to Boston leg is always very inconsistent. You’ll go 150 in one segment for a few mins and then crawl below 40. In my experience NYC to DC is more consistent with less swings in speeds but you’re right, over all top speed is lower.

autismspeaks Yeah, I agree it’s more consistent. You travel at high speeds for more of the journey.

@@helloworldstein Acela top speed between DC and NY is 135 mph, with the longest stretch of that between Trenton and Metro Park, NJ, where Amtrak set the North American rail speed record of over 160 mph. Regional Amfleet trains are now allowed up to 125 mph. Penn Station NY is a total pit. A humid sauna in the Summer and an icebox in the Winter. I worked for Amtrak out of DC in OBS for 14 years in the '80s and '90s and always tried to avoid working trains that had NY as an end-point. Having a separate monitored Amtrak waiting area in that station is a major improvement, as petty street crime used to be an issue in the station concourse. When the producer talked about exclusive content coming up I thought he was referring to a view of General Dynamics Electric Boat plant on the Thames at Groton, CT, which makes nuclear submarines. Sometimes you can see an almost complete one sitting outside the main assembly building. Hell Gate Bridge crosses the beginning of Long Island Sound where it meets the East River.

@@paulw.woodring7304 Hell Gate railroad bridge is spectacular. It was deliberately overbuilt to accommodate vastly expanded railroad and local rail transportation should the need arise. Beginning in Queens the tracks begin to rise to an astonishing height before the bridge that does provide a photogenic view of the iconic Manhattan skyline. As the tracks enter the Bronx one's attention is again captured by the high-level views of the park below before the tracks gently resume their downward path.

Ha! It’s been “almost completed” for the last decade.

@@moishglukovsky Construction hadn't even started a decade ago so... what?

The “old” Penn Station will still operate. It will just be connected to the post office side (which will be called Moynihan Train Hall), giving riders more access points and trains will have more tracks.

cynterslave You got your information wrong. While the current platforms will still operate, the Amtrak and LIRR halls will move to the Moynihan Hall and NJT will take over the current Amtrak area. Platform access has been modernized and the majority of the current station will be demolished, as will be the Madison Square Garden. nec.amtrak.com/project/moynihan-station/ www.6sqft.com/first-look-at-amtraks-new-amenity-space-in-revamped-moynihan-train-hall/

@@afcgeo882 No, @cynterslave was correct. The current station will not be demolished and neither will MSG. NJ Transit will control the majority of the current station as you said but there is no way the Knicks and Rangers owners or the city of New York are going to allow the iconic MSG to be demolished, especially after that massive renovation. The Moynihan Train Hall will be added on, not as a replacement. And your sources don't say that either so I don't know why you cited them. Hopefully, in the future, the current station will undergo massive overhaul.

lol

Leaving from Penn Station that just might happen!

Actually coach on Amtrak is fairly nice all things considered, much better value for your money than first class imo

Only if you pay extra.

@Ann Hanover GEE I WONDER WHY THAT MIGHT BE MAYBE BECAUSE ITS BEING FORCED TO RUN AS A HORRIBLE AMALGAMATION OF GOVERNMENT AGENCY AND CORPORATION AS AN EXCUSE NOT TO GIVE IT FUNDING

It DOES take passengers away from airlines - why do you think that even the Trump Shuttle - which served the DC-NYC-Boston air corridor - an NEC overlay in the air basically - went *splat*? Compare Acela Express - which is now back in operation - to the Delta Shuttle (Reagan National to Boston Logan). Then get back to us. (And stop wishing for champagne at Coca-cola Classic prices.)

Let's see if I inderstand government operations. They should attempt to compete with private industry even though the taxes paid by private industry partly goes to subsidize Amtrak. Fair? Only to a government bureaucrat; not a politician. Governments do not vote, the taxpayers do. It is a fine line upon which Amtrak struggles along. Helped, but never to to the point of really doing anything well. And, the National system is just a PS to the Northeast Corridor where people in DC often ride. There are very logical reasons for this insanity. You just have to know what they are and who pulls the strings.

Yeah, and as part of the Acela project it was electrified, that's why there are the better cantenary wires are past new haven

Its like for my area on the North Jersey Coast Line train at Long Branch. Long Branch is electrified due north towards New York Penn Station. The line will soon be fully electrified from Bay Head to NYP. But, it won't be until 2022

I remember it well, riding the old Northeast Direct trains between Boston and DC.

At New Year in 1995/96 my friend and I were in NYC for the new year and then a trip to visit friends in Boston. As we arrived at Penn Station it to began to snow heavily so the journey was a white-out but what amused us at New Heaven all the smokers got off the train and smoked as many cigarettes as they could while the Electric locomotive was changed to Diesel power! Boston was several feet deep in snow but we had a great time. On the return, we had brilliant sunshine and the views were stunning, New England is beautiful and approaching NYC saw the most beautiful skyline as it was dusk, the colours were a brilliant reds purples above the silhouette of the Manhattan skyline. A memory to be treasured forever as I had run out of camera film!

@@adam-the-gainer Still waiting on NJCL eletrification past Long Branch lol.

why though lmao

@@bistroofdoom2651 I don't think most people like train stations/airports with those low ceilings and a claustrophobic never-ending maze of corridors with no natural light at all.

@@PrimiusLovin true i really hate that

@@bistroofdoom2651 It didn’t show on video, but Penn station is usually PACKED with people. So it feels even more claustrophobic.

There used to be a joke about the commuter's prayer......"Lead us not into Penn Station".

you're correct there is a lot of tight turns and bridges here. I live near one of them.

Blame NY too. The New Haven to NYC lines date back to before the turn of the previous century. If you want to do high speed rail right you need to do a dedicated brand new line but there is nowhere to build around that area with eminent domaining thousands of people and seizing untold lots of land. It's also completely retarded how they never integrated Hartford into the high speed network, favoring the eastern coast where no one is over the state capital and all the surrounding cities. But Hartford is a dump anyway so no big loss.

s0nnyburnett New York has at least down a better job. The catenary and tracks have been replaced and modernized to allow somewhat higher speeds between Rye and Pelham. Let’s also face the fact that we don’t invest in this sort of thing as a country. You can take a modern high speed train from Vienna to Frankfurt for less money than it costs to take Metro North from Westport to GCT.

@@wurm90125 Under normal conditions, Business Service (not merely Acela, but Metroliner Service before it) was notoriously overbooked and thus overcrowded - it's why I only took Metroliner Service *once* between Philadelphia and New Carrolton - and still had to stand all the way to Baltimore.

Blame Amtrak and the feds. If they cared, they could invest in the line. Connecticut is effectively bankrupt and doesn't have any money to put into infrastructure projects.

Only seats I've used comparable to Amtrak coach seats, are Deutsche Bahn's ICE first class seats.

Very interesting info thank you! I also find it amusing how popular the Acela is given that the Northeast Regional for the same route is only about 10 minutes slower and often half the price 😂

Whats your favorite Amtrak train

My is the 66 northeast regional or 97 silver meteor

@@Dyl.2icy the only one I’ve taken so far was the Pacific Surfliner, I have parents that don’t let me travel far.

How old are you

I have now done more than half of the long distance trains - and I am trying to do them all. They are a delight. I hope that you get to realize your dream here. You will love it. And let's not even talk about the views.

Sure it's "temporary". Just like the "temporary" closure of the A and E lines of the Green Line in Boston. No reduction in the fare, no mention of the "temporary" reduction in the reservation and ticketing system. The "first class" premium on the Acela now buys a seat at the end of the train and a box of rubbish.

Still looks far more substantive than what you'd receive on a business flight NYC-BOS: fancy snack pack (ie: very small upgrade from pack of peanuts). And no traffic and TSA to contend w/as well.

@@robertbrown4872 : Absolutely. I've booked a round-trip from Boston to Seattle next month, just to ride the train. I love Amtrak. I hate what this administration is doing to the trains I love to ride.

@Ann Hanover More than what Ann?

* self-important

@@TheOwenMajor you may not like to admit it, but the tax dollars generated in the NEC pay for the investments the federal government makes in the rest of the US.

Except for most of the major cities in CT, including the damn capitol.

@@London755 "investment" lol what investment? they let the infrastructure crumble then shell out the smallest amount of cash possible to keep trains slow and unreliable to appease the car and oil industry. Once Amtrak invests in a train that is not as old as my grandparents or in a high speed train that saves you more than 20 minutes we can call it investing but at this point amtrak is slowlyy rotting away until there is an excuse to gut trains more.

@@TheOwenMajor 😄😄😄👍

Why did have they not replaced them yet? It seems like a disaster waiting to happen

@@milomhoek Amtrak is broke AF, they are expected to run with low prices (since they are a public service and need to he affordable) but are also expected to fund themselves off of their own earnings. If they can't increase revenue then they must cut costs, which prevents them from things like modernizing their infrastructure. This also results in declining quality of services, which then decreases ridership and revenue, forcing more budget cuts in a never ending death spiral. Meanwhile Congress seems to have this idea that Amtrak should be profitable and self sufficient, so all they see is a declining service thats running at a loss and as a result decide to "fix" the problem by reducing subsidies Theres more to it than this very shallow explanation of course, but the end result is that Amtrak is simply too short on funds to provide service or conduct critical infrastructure upgrades

@@andrewzheng4038 but does Amtrak also provide the maintenance for the infrastructure or is it a separate company

A large majority of the New York to New Haven part of the route is owned by the Connecticut Department of Transportation. Mike Is exaggerating the degree of issues the infrastructure has, but he's right when he says its old, and since Amtrak doesn't own it they need to push CT to do improvements. Everything Amtrak owns it maintains which is the case with most railroads in the US and Canada.

@@zackboone15 Well, by European standards (which I'm used to), I'm certainly not exaggerating. The ride quality in the genuinely comfortable Amfleets was comparable to that of a tram, certainly no central European heavy rail service would be that rough. Whilst the track between New Haven and Boston was actually all right, as are the New Jersey transit and Metro North ones (minus the switches), between Philadelphia and DC (around Baltimore in particular) as well as most of the track up to Newark is horrendous. It certainly doesn't feel safe traveling at 120 mph, especially when your train is delayed because last night an Acela tore off some catenary wires (it was summer, and yes, the speed was restricted because of sagging wires). Granted, as US infrastructure goes, the NEC is quite excellent, and it's problems are not unique to it (I distinctly remember seeing washed out foundations of bridge pillars where the track runs parralel to an elevated motorway just behind Hell Gate Bridge. Something that shouldn't happen in the first place). As for the catenary, some parts will be reaching their centennial this year, and for the most part it's still the same technology, the same masts and the same foundations the Pennsylvania railroad built 100 years ago. Up to New Haven the NEC's electrification is literally just some wires suspended over the tracks, with none of the technological innovations of the last 100 years present. And that equipment was never intended for service above 100mph. My experience on the NEC was a few years back, so things will have hopefully improved by now. Top speed on equivalent track in Europe would probably be 60mph for safety reasons alone, and the catenary would have been replaced by a tensioned system by the 70s at the latest.

Yes indeed, i took the NE Regional on the same route as Simply Railway and i have to say between NYC and Boston there's no big difference.

It's the overbooking (and thus overcrowding) of Business Service. If anything, Regional Service is underused for its capacity - and always has been (even back when smoking was permissible). In 1979, I could ALWAYS get a seat in the smoking car on Regional Service between Philadelphia and New Carrolton (smoking-car days) - and I took it on holidays (New Year's, Spring Break, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas) - Amtrak's five busiest travel weekends. And this was in either direction. The only minus was hitting the "stoning car" by mistake. (By "stoning car" I mean the one where pot was smoked freely; there would always be at least one such on a Regional Service run.)

The Acela is overpriced garbage

Thats why Acelas are all business/first class seats. There are no coach seats on the Acela. It's mainly businessmen who are on a time crunch who rides the Acela.

@@PGHammer21A and back in 1970 there was only 1/3 the population as we have now.

Yes, electrical lines where the pantograph collects it's electrical power.

Thank you. :)

Same the actual bonus is actually carrying Joe Biden on his inauguration on January 20th 2021 by winning against Donald Trump. Remember in 2016 he was the one that revealed the Avelia Liberty model.

gosh they found a way to make politcal a video about TRAINS

@@ludwigvonkoopa4998 trains are always political these days

Am I correct that the Avelia Liberty is a HS train with speeds up to 300-350 kmh , that is gonna run on tracks and bridges with maximum speeds of 100-150 kmh?

@@allws9683 absolutely correct however the line speed between New Haven and Boston is 240 km per hour 150 mph in some portion 5 miles per hour 10 kilometers faster than the Austrian Railjet 145 mph 230 km/h. HHP 8 maximum speed 135 miles per hour is 220 km/h.

Continental built all the Club Acela Lounges when the Acela launched, hence the continued partnership with United.

What is awesome being partnered by a terrible passenger- unfriendly carrier as United?

Not really expecting white glove service on a commuter train that nobody is on for more than three hours and change.

But that's what you get on the flying scotsman breakfast and lunch or lunch and dinner all included in the price of a first class ticket

Amtrak staff are amazing from all my 32 trips with em

I've actually had pretty great service across thousands of miles of Amtrak travel. Certainly better than the airline industry. Few bad apples, but not with any consistency.

Only if it’s the newer ones without a toilet inside 🤮

@Ann Hanover yup

probably covid regulations or something lol

Agreed. Also, the dude works for Alstom ...

Not the least, I have yet to see someone capable of eating through a mask.

@@ohauss ha

Has absolutely nothing to do with COVID at all. As of 2020 Amtrak will no longer serve hot meals on most trains for now on. It was announced on there website last year of that. Very few serve hot meals at all now only microwave warmed meals.

@@slycat1939 you’re wrong it’s because of covid 😂

Have watched many railfan videos produced by HinduCowGirl and the Norway trips are nice.

And the overnight sleepers100x better than Amtrak

That's Penn Station as a whole and more so headed Southbound due to the bottleneck of the 2 North River Tunnels compared to 4 East River Tunnels. If the Gateway Project had more funding and momentum, this problem could be solved.

This is not really their fault, since the US government refuses to fund infrastructure projects.

Youve never been to Asia. This is pathetic for a so called greatest country status.

@@michaelkensington2494 and your point? Oh right because we are not just like overseas we are pathetic.. got it. Meanwhile no one asked your opinion. You’re pathetic

@@Cubbie410 I mean...America is pretty pathetic he has a point

@@SuperDecdog but it’s still just an opinion

@@SuperDecdog damn we all could care less

Yes, I thought it must be deliberate. 😆

Don't rub it in. And it's hard to imagine Harry Potter and the gang running through a wall in Penn Station

This train definitely looks brand new for a 1985 train^^

We are very behind but slowly trying to catch up. Back in the 30s or 40s the automotive, tire, and rubber companies got together and bought up hundreds of thousands of miles of railways and trolley line then just destroyed them so people would buy cars. It affects us to this day.

@@JG-id5vi hell yeah but on a nice day my car could beat that train from Boston to NYC I’d go from Penn Station and be at Back Bay in no time sounds fine to me

prob cause they were designed and built in the 90's

World Record 574 km/h 😉😉😉

150mph is about 240kph but their in the planning stage of building a maglev line from DC all through Baltimore first then to Philly and NYC up to Boston by early 2030s

Oh and their replacing these trains you see here with faster ones made by a French company

you have got to be kidding? Have you been on highspeed rail in europe? Literally walk up to a "atm" kiosk, buy your ticket in any country(except US) in any language, and off you go on a highspeed rail in europe, clean, well maintained with good signs......American rails is a joke compared. You also put your life in your own hands when your waiting for a train in certain cities in US. So come on man, maybe your sample of US rail was very limited, I get it, Penn station is cute, Grand Central same, but really, not really. Not even close.

... The price for that trip in 1969.. was only.........$9.39 one-way, or a bit less than twenty dollars round trip! It sure has gotten a lot higher in 51 years!

Congress (other than Joe Biden) has been hostile to passenger rail since the creation of Amtrak, if not earlier, mostly because they don't use it - they all either drive or fly. Not the case in Europe, is it? If you USE a service, you aren't going to cut your own throat. (Biden was called "Amtrak Joe" for exactly that reason; when *I* took Amtrak, I'd see Joe Biden on the train myself on the Union Station-Wilmington leg - yet I would never - as in ever - see Steny Hoyer on the Union Station-New Carrolton leg - he drove in.)

our distances are greater out here in the USA that's why the private sector switched to aircraft. NYC and Boston are fairly close together BUT if you want to go the next population center to the west, probably the Chicago area, it is 790 miles or 1271 km. At its average speed of 278 km/hr it would take 4.5 hours for the French TGV to cross that distance. Whereas a jet aircraft only takes 2.5 hours published time (probably about 2 hours on average). Should be obvious why the private sector switched to jet aircraft once they became cheap enough. :) HSR is simply too slow here....except for short distances under 300 km and there are only four or five regions in the country where two useful cities are less than 300 km apart, the NEC being the best example.

It seems you are speaking about our ETR 450 Pendolino! The first tilting train in the world, with an airline style on board service.

Well, in 1994 they actually brought an ICE 1 trainset to the US, the problem was that there was no electrification 🤣

@@giatiexwkanali2750 Smart decision, they made 😂

But this is Kawasaki M8 of Metro-North from Grand Central Terminal

@@mr.conductorfromsts4204 You didn't get the joke lol

@@horizelux2212 sorry

Judging by the cover look up why the railroads are t as fast then you’ll understand never just half ass something if you wanna come here at least understand what’s happening here smh

@@mattk9644 I'm aware of the problems you guys are facing. It's the same for us in the UK too but not as dramatic. I hope things turn around for you soon.

@@ollylewin true it’s mostly due to corrupt politics like the democrats

@@ollylewin it’s why nothing gets done and everything around the US is turning into a shit holes it’s very sad to see sooner or later these democrats keep pushing with this “white rage” and “most racist country” bullshit there will be a second civil war trust me ammo around the US is sold out because of this

It's a shame, such prices, I think that the USA has one of the most expensive 'high speed' network. Instead of oil/car lobby, they should invest more in the railway network. The amount of trains is quite horrible for such a big city as New York, and also the average speed of the trains sucks. Price/quality/service/duration is way too much out of balance. It's time that the government invest in the railway network. Yes it costs money, but afterwards, you got much more profits from it, and it shows that the USA invest in the future/public transport, what's good for getting a better international reputation. They can always ask some European or Asian countries how they do it. Even Morocco has now it's high-speed train...

Sergayy Drachev

@@denjo3131 Airlines corruption (lobbying as they call it in the US) won't allow it.

The quality food in domestic business class has declined significantly in the last 10 years on most airlines. Would certainly not choose air travel on this factor alone!

@@robertbrown4872 while this is certainly true, I was more so pointing out that with COVID-19 a lot of airlines have been moving to boxed meals and or snack packs, at least from what I've seen on various travel channels. So the fact that Acela has done this too makes it equal to, not lesser than, the service found on business class airplanes right now. Also, at least in the US, I believe flights between destinations on the NE Corridor are so short that there is no real meal service anyways. Lastly, as someone who has taken Acela, the TGV, and Shinkansen, I would take the speed, reliability, and frequency of the Shinkansen over any offering with food and just buy my own bento box.

@@coreyhipps7483 Domestic first/business class food has been trash for a long time, except on coast-to-coast flights. If you're not going from LA/SF/Seattle to Boston/NYC/DC you did not get good food, nor did you get a seat that was anything to write home about (except on Virgin America, which had excellent domestic first class seats on *all* of their flights, but then Alaska bought them and proceeded to replace the seats with their own humdrum seats). The crappiest airline in America -- Spirit Air -- has sort of proven how crappy domestic first class is with their Big Front Seat. The seat is just as good as on any other carrier (except for transcon routes), is far, far cheaper, and all you lose is the unlimited booze.

@@NozomuYume I am not saying that domestic in the US is good. But in the video the author complains that they are disappointed in the food provided by Amtrak as compared to airline carriers. My point is that right now Amtrak's first class food offering is equally crappy to the offerings being provided by most carriers right now. All domestic travel, where you do get food, has seemingly been boxes of snacks and not much else based on a survey of other travel RU-vid channels who have flown first class domestic (transcon or otherwise where food is served) during the pandemic. My point is not to say that domestic airline meals in the US are good. It is only to counter the point made in the video here that Amtrak is doing a worse job than the airlines. Everyone is more or less providing the same sub-par dining experience whether it is Acela first class or domestic first class airline seat that has food provided during the pandemic.

It is, indeed, sad. We're a half century behind the rest of the train world now. All the hype by our flag waving politicians about how great we are, and we've fallen behind in so many categories you can't even count them now. We don't even have freedom of speech or religious protections anymore, 4th and 5th amendments all circumvented, 2nd amendment eroded to the point where it's almost academic in most places. Almost all gone now.

@@spaceboy3101 Change countries. Yeah, go to live somewhere else.

Chicago is all around better than NYC.

I mean Chicago union is far better than Penn station in every way.

@@justsamoo3480 Northeast Corridor trains do not call at Chicago.

@@justsamoo3480 So is Union Station in DC.