The Acela is an Amtrak train that runs multiple times daily between Washington, D.C., and Boston, Massachusetts. The full journey takes about seven hours and covers 457 miles. The Acela is also the fastest train service in the Americas, with the new NextGen Acela capable of reaching a top speed of 160 miles per hour (although it doesn’t usually run that fast for reasons you may not know!).

I had a long weekend because of Labor Day and decided it was the perfect time to check a couple more train routes off my list. Usually, when I’m traveling up the East Coast, I take the Northeast Regional (like any other budget-conscious train traveler!). However, Acela is much easier to complete end-to-end since it’s one straight shot from Washington to Boston. I’ll have to knock out the Northeast Regional with all its various routes and branches through Virginia another time.

Good Intentions, Ongoing Implementation Challenges

There is no single universal definition of “high-speed rail.” However, in the United States, federal law has defined high-speed intercity passenger rail as a minimum of 110 miles per hour.

The United States’ efforts to bring high-speed rail to the Northeast Corridor date back to the 1960s, when the Metroliner began service between New York and Washington in 1969. These trains reached speeds of 164 miles per hour during testing; however, regular service was generally slower, with a maximum speed of 120 miles per hour, due to track conditions and mechanical issues.

By the 1990s, Amtrak was looking for a new generation of trains that could provide even faster service. In 1999, it unveiled the name “Acela,” which combines the words “acceleration” and “excellence.” The popularity of the new service would ultimately end the Metroliner’s run in 2006 after 37 years.

The first Acela entered service in December 2000. Even though the train only had a top speed of 150 miles per hour (similar to the Metroliner), it was actually able to reach that speed during regular service. However, the infrastructure it runs on severely limits how often it can do so. Rather than operating on a dedicated high-speed railway, both the original and Next Gen Acelas share the 457-mile Northeast Corridor with Northeast Regional trains, commuter railroads and freight operations. Much of that infrastructure is more than 100 years old, leaving the trains to contend with sharp curves, aging bridges and tunnels, and sections of track with significantly lower speed limits.

The original Acela trains have also had problems of their own. The fleet consisted of 20 trainsets and has experienced a number of mechanical issues during its lifetime. Most notably, in April 2005, inspectors discovered cracks in the spokes of the trains’ disc-brake rotors. Similar cracks were subsequently found throughout the fleet, prompting Amtrak to temporarily suspend all Acela service.

By the 2010s, the original trains were approaching the end of their expected service lives, while growing ridership created capacity issues. Acela trains were regularly selling out during peak periods. In 2016, Amtrak contracted with Alstom to build the NextGen Acela trains to replace the original 20-train fleet. These new trains have a top speed of 160 miles per hour, more seats, and a new tilt system designed to provide a smoother ride.

When Amtrak announced the order in 2016, the new trains were expected to enter service in 2021. However, the program fell years behind schedule. One of the biggest obstacles was the federal approval process. Alstom was required to produce a validated computer model predicting how the trains would perform before the Federal Railroad Administration would allow additional operational testing. By 2023, an Amtrak Office of Inspector General audit found that the program was already more than three years behind schedule and that Alstom still had not produced a computer model that met federal requirements. The audit also identified defects in already-produced trainsets that would need to be corrected before they could enter service.

However, the wait finally ended on August 28, 2025, when the first five NextGen Acela trainsets entered revenue service. This was nine years after Amtrak first ordered them and roughly four years later than originally planned. The NextGen fleet is being introduced gradually, with original Acela trainsets continuing to operate alongside the new trains during the transition.

The Ride

I arrived at Washington Union Station around 7:00 am. The station was busy since it was the start of Labor Day weekend, but I managed to find a quiet spot to wait for my track to be announced. Normally, I don’t have this luxury since I (and literally everyone else) want to be first in line to get a good seat. However, since Acela seats are assigned, there’s really no point in rushing to board.

Unfortunately, I immediately realized that I had assigned myself a pretty terrible seat. I chose 5A, which was forward-facing according to the Amtrak app. What the app failed to mention, however, was that my view would be almost completely obstructed. I’ve never encountered anything like this on the Northeast Regional, and I’m not sure whether it’s an issue on the older Acela trains.

Staring out the window is one of the highlights of my train journeys, so this was quite the disappointment. But what can one really do at that point? I’ve already traveled this stretch of the Northeast Corridor plenty of times, so at least I wasn’t missing out on entirely new scenery. Still, I spent a good portion of the journey trying to convince myself that I could see well enough through a tiny sliver of the window in the row ahead of me. I was lying to myself.

As for the seats themselves, they’re quite different from those on the older Amtrak trains. I’d heard complaints about the Next Gen Acela’s seats being uncomfortable, and while I wouldn’t go that far, they’re definitely a little narrower and stiffer than what I’m used to. I suspect the stiffness will improve as more butts spend more time in the seats.

The recline mechanism is also a bit unusual. Rather than the seatback tilting backward, the entire seat slides forward. I suppose that’s a nice feature for whoever is sitting behind you, but I’ve honestly never felt particularly jibbed when someone reclines in front of me on Amtrak, given how much legroom there is.

One feature I did appreciate was the placement of the power outlets. Unlike the Northeast Regional, where the outlets are located along the wall by the window seat, the Next Gen Acela has them between the seats. This eliminated any awkwardness over charging devices, as both my seatmate and I needed to plug in. I was especially grateful for the opportunity to keep my devices charged, considering I had to find other ways to entertain myself without my usual window views.

As with any long train journey, I eventually made my way to the café car. Much like the seating, the menu was considerably more limited than what I’m accustomed to. One would think that designing an entirely new train would present the perfect opportunity to add more ovens for the copious number of refrigerated and frozen food items. Surely, whoever designed these trains knew that heating food was already a bottleneck. Unfortunately, the café car line was still quite long around mealtimes as passengers waited for their food to be heated.

I also ended up having to stand while eating my macaroni and cheese, which was less than ideal on a moving train. Despite the Next Gen Acela’s new stabilization technology, balancing a meal while standing was still a bit of a challenge.

Between my less-than-ideal seat and my adventures in the café car, this wasn’t quite the journey I’d envisioned when I booked my ticket. Nevertheless, the train made its way up the Northeast Corridor without any major issues, and we pulled into Boston right on time. After roughly seven hours onboard, I was more than ready to get off the train, stretch my legs, and enjoy the rest of my Labor Day weekend.

Final Thoughts

The Next Gen Acela certainly delivers on the modern, streamlined aesthetic, but I can’t help feeling that some of the charm of train travel was lost in the process. Ultimately, I think my biggest complaint is that it just doesn’t feel particularly cozy. Between the bright lighting, narrower seats, limited café car, and more utilitarian interior, it almost feels like Amtrak took a few pages out of the airline industry’s playbook. Don’t get me wrong, the seats are still considerably more comfortable than those on an airplane, but the overall atmosphere feels much more focused on getting passengers from Point A to Point B than on making the journey itself enjoyable.

And maybe that’s exactly what Amtrak was going for. After all, the Acela caters heavily to business travelers who presumably want to get to their destinations as quickly and efficiently as possible. However, to me, the journey is the experience. One of my favorite things about Amtrak is being able to sit back, watch the scenery, wander between cars, and spend some time relaxing in the café car. While I can appreciate the Next Gen Acela for what it is, I think I’ll stick with the Northeast Regional for most of my future trips along the corridor.

That said, my disappointment with certain aspects of the Next Gen Acela doesn’t mean I’m disappointed that Amtrak is investing in faster trains. While I personally prefer a more leisurely train journey, I recognize that making rail travel faster and more competitive with flying is an important part of expanding passenger rail in the United States, especially in the busy Northeast Corridor.

However, as I knew before the journey and experienced, the Acela isn’t all that much faster than the Northeast Regional. Sure, it goes really fast on certain sections, but it’s heavily limited by track speed limitation. So, I wouldn’t blame you if you may still be wondering, “why on earth are we continuing to make faster trains that can’t even go faster than the aging rail infrastructure can handle?” After all, it does seem like a waste of time and money.

The good news is that the country is also investing in infrastructure that can accommodate faster trains. For example, Amtrak completed upgrades to a 16-mile section of the Northeast Corridor in New Jersey that allow the original Acela to reach 150 miles per hour and the Next Gen Acela to reach 160. Other projects are eliminating much slower bottlenecks, including the replacement of Baltimore’s 150-year-old tunnel, where curves currently limit trains to just 30 miles per hour.

Because trains remain in service for decades, it makes sense to build them with future infrastructure improvements in mind. Otherwise, as the Northeast Corridor is gradually upgraded, Amtrak could eventually find itself with tracks capable of higher speeds but trains that can’t take advantage of them.

So, even though improving rail infrastructure is going to take a long time (at least at the current rate we’re going), every little bit counts. And while the Next Gen Acela might not have delivered quite the experience I was hoping for, I’m still excited to see what the future holds for high-speed rail in the United States.

Finally, you may also be wondering what other train I completed during my long weekend! I’m sure some of you could guess based on me ending up in Boston at the end of this journey, but I’ll be releasing that post later.