An early good morning from Boston, Massachusetts! I got a chance to ride on Amtrak’s NextGen Acela trains a couple of days ago, which debuted recently.
After many rides on the original Acela trains, it was exciting to check out the new trains and see what they had to offer. Overall, I was very pleased with Amtrak’s new flagship product.
Let’s get to the review!
Booking and Boarding
I booked this ticket a couple of weeks in advance, but I made a last-minute change and switched the trip to a week earlier, a few days before the new departure. I ended up paying a total of $151 for the trip after the changes.
I took NextGen Acela train 2153, with a 05:55 departure from Boston South Station and a 09:50 arrival at New York Penn Station.
You can tell which trains are the NextGen Acela by looking for the “NextGen” label during booking, like in the following image:
It was also pretty easy to tell which one was my train when I got to Boston’s South Station at about 05:30 in the morning.
We were able to begin boarding about 15 minutes prior to departure. I hopped on right away.
First Impressions
There was still a bit of a new train smell inside. The trains are very well lit and have a very modern look.
Business class uses that blue color on the carpet and headrests as a theme. They’re also found on the bathroom doors, the displays, etc.
Business class is in a 2-2 configuration, just like the original Acelas.
I got seat 4D in car number 4, on the window:
To start, yes, I have seen the reviews saying that the seats are hard.
I personally didn’t think they were that bad. They’re a bit hard, yes, but at no point in the trip did I think that I was uncomfortable in them. I thought they were a bit similar to the seats on the N700S series Shinkansen in Japan; a bit hard, but not awfully so, to the point that they’re uncomfortable.
I also imagine they’ll soften over time as they get more hours.
That said, the recline is the type where the seats move forward. Some may dislike this, which I understand:
Legroom was the same as the original Acelas. There was enough space.
A footrest is also at each seat, which I used a little.
The tray tables on the original Acela trains were awful, so I was glad to see a solid one on the NextGen Acela. Lift the latch, and the table comes down. It’s pretty sturdy.
The tray table can be pulled forward. It can easily fit a standard-size laptop, like a 13-14-inch MacBook, if that helps visualize the size.
A cupholder is also available when the tray table is in the upright position.
Reading lights are available at each seat on the right side of the headrest wings. I thought this was a nice touch.
Outlets are between each seat, meaning both passengers have access to them. These are only on the windows on the original Acelas (and the Northeast Regional), so this is a nice change. You don’t have to worry about whether you’ll have easy access to an outlet or not.
The airplane-like overhead bins on the original Acelas are no more. NextGen Acela has regular racks instead. They’re enough to store a carry-on sized piece of baggage. This is the standard worldwide and is what I’m used to in Japan.
Departure from Boston
We departed Boston on time. The train got busier and busier until it was pretty much full after leaving Route 128 station.
We zoomed through Massachusetts and Rhode Island. The top speed on the NextGen Acelas is 260kmh, or 160mph. This is equivalent to the Hokuriku, Joetsu, Hokkaido, and Kyushu Shinkansens in Japan. The weakness of the Acelas is that they’re limited to where they can run at that top speed.
Either way, it felt great flying by at this top speed:
A big difference I noticed is that these trains ride very well. They ran very smoothly even at high speeds.
Exploring the Train
Wayfinding onboard is very clear. Car numbers and the directions for the cafe car are clearly marked throughout the train.
Luggage racks are located at the ends of the car, near the doors. These would fit larger baggage that may not fit on the overhead racks at the seats.
Generally, I think it’s quite a challenge to travel with a lot of luggage on a train. Unless you’re on a long-haul Amtrak train that takes in checked luggage, you’re limited to these spaces for your big bags. This is true for intercity trains around the world.
Restrooms are located in each car and are quite large to accommodate wheelchairs:
Cafe Car
The Cafe Car on the NextGen Acela has some differences compared to the original Acelas.
The most notable is a grab-and-go section as you line up. You can find sandwiches, snack plates, and beverages. It reminded me of my high school cafeteria.
Snacks were available for grabs as well:
A menu was also on display on a screen, and would scroll through several pages:
Notably, there’s no seating in the Cafe Car on the NextGen Acela. Some may dislike this change, which I understand. I personally wasn’t bothered by it, and enjoyed standing by the window as I ate breakfast.
Approaching New York City
We strolled through Connecticut, which reminded me of the weakness of Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor. The stretch through Connecticut is not suited for high speed rail, and it’s a bummer to see these trains have to run at slow speeds through the state.
The NextGen Acela trains are actually capable of running up to 355kmh, or 220mph (without tilting), but until the tracks through Connecticut are rerouted in a more straight line, consistent, higher speeds will remain a dream.
I have to admit, I always whip my phone out like a tourist everytime I cross the Hell Gate Bridge:
It was a gorgeous September day.
Concluding Thoughts
We arrived at New York Penn Station on time.
I was impressed by the interiors a lot. NextGen Acela is a fantastic improvement over the aging original Acela trains, and I’m thrilled that I’ll have opportunities to ride this train as I continue my ventures along the Northeast Corridor.
Although some have complained about the hardness of the seats, I didn’t find them to be uncomfortable on this trip. We’ll have to see how these trains hold up as time goes on.
All photos taken by the author.
