Hello and good morning from New York Penn Station! It’s been a moment since I’ve last talked about Amtrak on this blog, but the train posts are back. I still ride Amtrak from time to time as usual, so I thought I’d go over one of my trips from a few months ago.
As always, this was a New York Penn Station to Boston South Station trip. I rode on Acela train 2150 with a 7:57am departure. I typically take trains at around this time.
This trip was a Monday morning. Just like airplanes, Monday morning Acela trains are full of business travelers and commuters like me. This particular train was a busy one as usual.
Enough talking from me, let’s get to the trip!
At Penn Station
I arrived at Penn Station about 25 minutes before departure. Not having to arrive early is a benefit of taking Amtrak over a flight.
However, I was met with a slight delay due to the late arrival of the train. I had some time to kill.
I headed to the ticketed passengers area to sit down and wait for my train to arrive.
Penn Station’s Moynihan Train Hall sometimes gets criticized for the lack of seating in the terminal, but this Amtrak waiting area is pretty spacious.
Signage is sufficient as well.
Onboard the Train
We boarded soon enough from track 8.
I had booked a window seat as usual. My car was pretty much full with many business travelers and commuters. I could see many people on their laptops doing work while others were on business calls.
I had some work to get done as well, so this 3.5 hour ride to Boston was perfect.
Amtrak typically takes a little bit longer than flying (when everything goes right) when traveling between New York City and Boston, but the train allows you to be way more productive compared to taking the plane. The only time I’d have a chance to do something on my computer when flying is at the boarding area, and even that would only give me a half hour at most.
I was on my computer for most of this trip. Also, grab the window seat if you want easy access to the charging ports.
Related: Best way from NYC to Boston; train, bus, or plane?
I went over to the Cafe Car for breakfast as usual.
Being able to get a meal in while I travel is another benefit of taking Amtrak over the plane. No need to rush somewhere for a quick bite when I arrive in Boston, whether that’s breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
I got some Apple Juice and a Croissant at the Cafe Car and ate my Chobani Greek yogurt I had bought at a Duane Reade before departure.
Work plus breakfast on a train, a pretty solid combo.
Once we got through slow Connecticut, we cruised at top speed through Rhode Island and Massachusetts.
240kmh (150mph) is the Acela’s top speed.
Concluding Thoughts
Although we didn’t make up any time, we didn’t lose time either. We arrived in Boston about 15 minutes behind schedule.
The conductors did a fantastic job with announcements and information on this train. They made clear announcements 5-10 minutes before each stop reminding passengers to gather their belongings and prepare to get off. Even this small detail helps limit dwell times at stations, as passengers are ready to deboard immediately upon arrival. The crew stressed this throughout the trip and I do think it helped us not lose any time with our delay.
Aside from that, this was a pretty standard and comfortable ride on the Acela. I was able to get a good amount of work done, and I always enjoy grabbing food at the Cafe Car. Here’s to many more trips on Amtrak!
All photos taken by the author.
