Background & Booking
For my trip back to New York from Boston, I booked a ticket on Amtrak’s Acela, since I live much closer to Penn Station than any of the New York City airports.
On the Boston to New York route, there are the Acela trains and the Northeast Regional trains. The time difference between the Acela and Northeast Regional vary based on the schedules. Generally, the Acela can save about 30 minutes in travel time compared to the Northeast Regional for the little over 200-mile Boston South Station to New York Penn route. This Acela I booked was one of the slower ones and scheduled for 4 hours flat. This was 20 minutes shorter than the Northeast Regional I took to Boston.
Amtrak prices do fluctuate a lot and get much more expensive last minute. I booked this train about 3 weeks in advance, and I got the lowest business-class ticket for $99 for the lowest-priced ticket. On the day of departure, it was about $200.
On the Acela, there are only Business Class and First Class cars (no “coach” seating). All have reserved seating, and Business Class is a 2-2 configuration while First Class is in a 1-2 configuration. Business Class is similar to Coach on the Northeast Regional, though there seemed to be some more legroom and you get to reserve your seat, which is a plus.
The value prop for Acela First Class is that it has seating in a 1-2 configuration which is nice, especially when travelling alone and if you don’t want to sit next to a stranger. There are single, double, and conference table seats. There is an at-seat service with a complimentary selection of meals and beverages. Plus, you get complimentary lounge access.
Bid-Up
Amtrak has a program called BidUp where you can place a bid to upgrade to a higher cabin. For the Acela, the upgrade would be from Acela Business Class to Acela First Class. The lowest bid I could enter was $111 to have a chance to upgrade my coach seat to business class (the highest bid was $171). I was very tempted to enter a bid, but since I didn’t have time to use the lounges in Boston or the new one at New York Penn, I decided to pass.
Route & Stops
- Boston, MA – South Station (BOS)
- Boston, MA – Back Bay Station (BBY)
- Route 128, MA (RTE)
- Providence, RI – Amtrak/MBTA Station (PVD)
- New Haven, CT – Union Station (NHV)
- Stamford, CT (STM)
- New York, NY – Moynihan Train Hall (NYP)
Boarding & Seat
My train was scheduled to depart at 2:00 PM from Boston South Station. Since the hotel I was at was within walking distance from Boston Back Bay, I decided to board there instead, which was scheduled to arrive at 2:04 PM.
I had reserved a window seat, and I noticed that the seat map was quite full, so I did have someone next to me. They were quite friendly and I ended up making a new friend on the train ride. At New Haven, my seatmate departed and the seat next to me was empty for the rest of the ride.
The seat had two power plugs along the window frame. If you’re in the aisle seat, you should probably bring a long cord in case.
My seat was a standard forward-facing seat, and there was a tray table, a recline function, and a footrest.
About halfway through the journey, the train attendants did come by to collect trash.
In terms of the Wi-Fi, I tried connecting to the service when we were around New Haven, and it didn’t work. Though, I was able to finally connect towards the end of the ride in Stamford.
Cafe Car
In the center of the train was the Cafe Car, which had some stool-style seats.
I used the bathroom once on the journey, and it was decently tidy and I had no complaints there. It had paper towels, so I was happy.
We arrived in New York Penn right on time, and I was quickly on my way back home.
The Verdict
Overall, I had a great trip on the Amtrak Acela Business Class product from Boston to New York Penn. My train was on time, though it was unfortunate that the Wi-Fi did not work. Hopefully, I will get to try out the Acela First Class product sometime in the future.
Have you taken Amtrak’s Acela Business Class from Boston to New York before? How was your experience? Comment below!
Cheers,
Ty
Have any questions? I’ve also started working with a travel agency, Fora Travel, and can assist in booking hotel stays or planning trips. Comment below or email me at takeofftotravel@gmail.com. You can also view all my other posts here! Thanks for stopping by!
