America's FASTEST Train: First Class Acela Journey from DC to NYC!

[@nathanjiang100]

one of my best Amtrak steals to date is $44 Acela first class from DC-NY. they had a sale last summer and was able to grab a cheap ticket and use an upgrade coupon. the starr lasagna and lobster mac n cheese (from another upgrade coupon) tasted great but honestly the breakfast menu looks pretty enticing. but if you want the best seats on the corridor, book the Palmetto or Pennsylvanian which have Amfleet II coach seats often at the same price as the Northeast Regional.

[@SteveGettingAroundPhilly]

Glad to see the footage I sent of this one! Great to see the trip was a success, and can't wait for the other one I got! Also, have fun in Asia!

[@kevinellis8869]

Does this mean we'll see some trip reports from the Far East (for us in Europe) ?

[@LonestarTrips]

@@kevinellis8869 yes it does! I’m currently in Korea and will be flying over to Japan in a couple days. Tons of content to come!

[@EmeraldCrimsonShadowPeach2K5]

I did the Acela in Business Class on my return trip home from Philly back in June 2023. I definitely hope to do it in First Class soon.

[@mattkane5468]

Always fun to be waiting on the station platform in New Brunswick when an Acela comes flying through. Northeast Regionals and Keystones go by in a hurry too!

[@spenceradams2908]

Glad to see you could use the video I sent from metro park

[@LonestarTrips]

The footage you provided was great! Thanks again for doing that for the channel!

[@hermanchan2794]

The Acela Express is the only Amtrak route not to include standard coach class seats but instead mainly business class seats and the only route to feature first class like in airplanes.

[@kingbradentucky]

Really looking forward to the new Liberty trains but I'll miss the Acela. It's a pretty train.

[@mace400]

Liberty train? Is that a new model coming out or how is it even comparable to the Acela? Is it electric?

[@kingbradentucky]

@@mace400 its the Acela replacement. Electric, and a little faster. I say "a little" b/c the speed is more limited by the tracks than the train sets.

[@mace400]

@@kingbradentucky hmm interesting. Are they going to be part of the northeast regional rail? Or somewhere else? And when you say replacement, are they just taking over the Acela line? New at learning about these things so sorry if basic knowledge

[@kingbradentucky]

@@mace400 no worries. Questions help people learn. Questions are good. The Liberty will only run in the Northeast on the current Acela lines. The electrification of the rails really only exists in the Northeast.

[@mace400]

@@kingbradentucky nice. Very cool. Excited to see which turn the railroad industry is going to take. Gotta wonder if they’re going to lay down a large electric network; maybe learn from Japan/ different countries and try our hand at mag-lev or other types of lines. Feel like there’s a ton of potential if the technology is up to speed/standards. Which it seems like it is since it’s been in development/implemented for like that past decade or so.

[@davepov]

I always enjoy your videos. You have a unique narrative style and more than enough info in your videos. Nice job!

[@LonestarTrips]

Much appreciated! Glad you enjoy the content 😊

[@SuperDave30]

I love the famous Amtrak Acela to me it’s Amtrak luxury train compare to the Amtrak’s Northeast regional train, on Train Sim World I operated the Acela its amazing I love it! 😊

[@stephenkeever6029]

I was looking forward to this one and it didn't disappoint! The pace of your editing and variety of shots gets better and better every time. Thanks and glad you are still putting out new videos.

[@LonestarTrips]

Glad you enjoyed, and thanks for being such a fantastic longtime supporter of the channel! Always great to see you in the comments every video.

[@thomassmall990]

I enjoyed the Video. It's nice to see that Amtrak is Steadily Improving It's Railway Service as described in your Video. Nice Video . I really enjoyed seeing the Speed of the ACELA.

[@JamesGJGSUSHI]

The flyby captures are so cool

[@athenaclark2567]

13:59 *BEACON OF LIGHT, BEACON OF HOPE*

[@nolantherailfan5048]

Very speedy journey

[@steveschlackman4503]

OMG the Portal Bridge will be missed when the new bridge opens. It's a disgrace that it took so long to get a replacement but better late than never.

[@katepustay304]

I had Amtrak points to burn once so I splurged on the Acela Express. I had a blast.

[@JBoomer-pi6ml]

I enjoyed my trips on the Acela trains. I'm looking forward to the new Acela trains. I guess they will begin service this year. I hope.

[@allenkunes1671]

Good information, and I would love to see other high speed corridors with Acela trains.

[@neil1030]

I look forward to riding the new Acela soon and hoping they aren't delayed yet again.

[@NormanAllen-ps9ju]

Very well done report !

[@Retiredtraveler1961]

I just recently did the first class DC to New York and it was ok not great, 2 1/2 hours from BWI airport to Monahan Station. However, I found the seat and the interior were very dated looking, and I had less legroom in the first class than I did in the northeast regional Business Class train on my return home. There was a speed difference between the two trains, the Ascella reached 131 mph between Baltimore and Wilmington, Delaware, the northeast regional hit a top speed of 110 mph.

[@vivyan92]

Hopefully you'll get the ride the Borealis for the new Amtrak route to the Twin Cities from Chicago.

[@bigjohnrailproductions8370]

Very fast run from DC to NY Penn. Princeton Jct is the closest 150mph on the NEC for anyone in PA, NJ and NY. It's worth the catch if you go there.

[@alexanderhutchinson9893]

As a solo traveler the value of first class is not having a seatmate. I like to look out the window, and until recently, you could not select a seat in business. The lounge in NYC is lovely, too.

[@railfannerjs6308]

So it was the greatest ride, with greatest captures, but to put your words in main point, the food is the only thing that needs improvement, and the portal bridge of which that gets jammed non-stop due for 2027, but other then that, you’d ride Acela anytime you need Amtrak from one part of the US down to New York or Massachusetts. I’m sure a lot of people order it more then the Northeast Regional and Vermonter, although Amfleet sets always get used and crowded anyways

[@coryphillips8526]

Hello Lonestar. I just completed watching ALL of your videos. I have enjoyed every last one. What are ways I can share content? Will you do a report on New Jersey Transit's Atlantic City Rail Line?

[@nelsonramos5826]

wow that's 😊and tomorrow ineed part 2😊 thank

[@Leafsfanforever]

2:07 why doesn’t via rail have snacks in their lounges? I’ve been on so many trips with via rail and always wondered that. They give you meals on the trail like Amtrak ( I never taken Amtrak except for the maple leaf from Aldershot to Niagara ) so that can’t be the reason

[@SalmanMentos]

Gotta go fast

[@liljayyboi2]

Looking forward to the Avelia Liberty later this year?

[@AmtrakNerd42]

You should go up to Alaska and take the Denali Star.

[@kevinb8881]

I wonder if Amtrak will be using the same current overhead catenary line voltage (12kV AC, 25Hz) when the new portal bridge opens for business!!!

[@BoeingAvation8490]

Nice video (first)

[@lasalleman6792]

Catherdral of Passenger Railroading. Beautiful.

[@tonylarussa4046]

It shaves about an hour from the Northeast Regional time!

[@gb9727]

9:17 Oh Wow, a LSR face reveal

[@LonestarTrips]

Yep! After I did the proper face reveal video a while back, I've been more comfortable about showing my face in videos now.

[@samtrak1204]

Acela train sets at WAS look dirty. Were your windows clean?

[@drpamelatomcruise4517]

I memory when I started driving train I had no passenger I drive north an south seem like I was joy riding then only one passenger took chance

[@LouisChang-le7xo]

while I'm not a fan of faster trains costing more to ride, the Acela is still fascinating

[@A350flyernyc]

Honestly Amtrak is so expensive on the NEC nowadays that the Acela is barely more than the regional. There were several times where I actually found the Acela to be *cheaper* than the regional!

[@damcoentertainment3956]

Will they cost more to ride? I thought that the fares would come down a bit because of the increased capacity of the new Avelia's.

[@johnchambers8528]

I remember when the Metroliner started service and the premium to ride them was not that much more than the regular trains. Between Philadelphia and Washington DC or New York it was only about $5.00 extra. Of course with Amtrak now pricing their service like the airlines you really have to research the date and time you want to go to get the best price regardless of what train you want to ride. Your best bet for a bargain Accela train is most likely on a weekend when there are less business travelers.

[@AmtrakandAWVRFan]

@@damcoentertainment3956Generally you can expect a higher charge for Acela, but there are some cases that the Acela can be cheaper than the Regional depending on time of day, time of year and how many seats are sold. If not a lot of seats sell, they may lower the price. Usually what I do is buy in advance as possible with the lowest possible fare. The lowest fare I paid for an Acela excluding promotions is $67 from Baltimore to Newark, which is cheaper than Regionals when bought closer to day of travel. Though for the same time period, Regionals can be $15-$40, but $67 for the Acela I can consider a bargain since normal fares can be over $120 to as high as $300 for coach, which is something I can pay for First class when bought well in advance

[@coryphillips8526]

Hello. Something you mentioned caught my attention even more so. The Acela only stops in Newark within New Jersey. So it doesn't stop in Trenton?

[@blacklisted351]

A few did stop at trenton before the pandemic. I don't belive they do anymore. Though a few still stop at metropark

[@georgebey6512]

Amen

[@kevinb8881]

I like Amtrak Northeast Corridor route!!!

[@gloryannbatista6211]

Also did nobody see 2 of the ALC-42 at 5:12???

[@drpamelatomcruise4517]

You gonna get enough with calling me a juicer,jaha

[@pleappleappleap]

Do the new trains have shared trucks?

[@weinito]

I'd be happy if you started saying what video you'll be posting next at the end of each video.

[@LonestarTrips]

I will start doing that again once I get back to weekly uploads.

[@willgibson9718]

Can I please make a playlist about Amtrak new haven trips abovt you

[@jonathanotten7638]

How is it determined when meals are served? If I got on at Wilmington, could I still get breakfast? Or have I missed my chance?

[@LonestarTrips]

The crew will come to serve you when you board, so don’t worry about missing your meal.

[@jonathanotten7638]

@@LonestarTrips Excellent, thank you! Always appreciate the new videos

[@LonestarTrips]

@@jonathanotten7638 Of course, happy to help!

[@drpamelatomcruise4517]

They all know something I don't know

[@brianog5267]

This is great… I could get from Newark NJ to Trenton NJ pretty fast….. said nobody…ever

[@samtrak1204]

Toilet Training 101 Why is this toilet door open as passengers board Acela Express at WAS? When I was conducting I spent half my time closing toilet and vestibule doors as I walked through my train throughout the whole trip while most passengers and crew members couldn’t care less. Personally, I think it’s gross.

[@samtrak1204]

Why didnt you pick a seat with a full window view?

[@LonestarTrips]

I used a one class upgrade for this trip, so there were only a limited selection of seats by the time I could choose.

[@drpamelatomcruise4517]

I had a bad wrap every since are you serious thinking people was paid off to make me feel better

[@gloryannbatista6211]

Fun fact: DC Union Station is actually based on a city Union Station in Italy

[@bahnspotterEU]

Union stations don’t really exist as such in Europe, at least not in name. Also, in a rare twist, the station in Italy (Milano Centrale) was actually inspired by DC Union, not the other way round.

[@jcspotter7322]

3:10 Brightline would like a word out back with you

[@Diamond-sj5jd]

brightline tops out at 120, not high speed, Northeast Regional's do 120, they're not considered high speed trains. brightline is a joke that tries to take itself seriously, can't wait to ride it and hit another moron on a grade crossing.

[@adambuesser6264]

If the rest of the electric trains go fast on non-nigh-speed track, why are there so many slow sections of the route? High-speed routes are supposed to have very few curves and mostly straight lines from city to city. Amtrak electric trains are more like High-Speed regional service, not real High-Speed Rail.

[@Whatneeds2bsaid]

>why are there so many slow sections of the route? Because the alignment is over ~100 years old. I don’t believe there are any trains that go as fast as Acela on tracks as old as the NEC.

[@nose10620]

👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

[@drpamelatomcruise4517]

I thought I offered a good packaged

[@NameReveal-yy7qb]

could you please compare a train and a plane from new york to dc

[@bigbilly7865]

🚆🚆🚆🚆🚆🚆

[@vulpo]

Why is it so dirty?

[@ABTrainsYT]

Imagine if a French TGV train ran that service 🤑

[@SalmanMentos]

If you think about it the acela is just heavier tgv

[@MrMarshmallow26]

The TGVs that Amtrak has have been sitting around for 4 years. I don’t think I want to imagine that. 😓

[@chriscunningham9740]

They do. The current acelas and new avelia liberties are based on designs that Alstom manufactured for the TGV.

[@mirzaahmed6589]

​@@chriscunningham9740v that's the joke.

[@MatthewSmith-cv7op]

Max speed for Portal is 90 not 60.

[@LonestarTrips]

Max speed for current portal is 60, new portal is 90.

[@MatthewSmith-cv7op]

Perhaps with the construction they reduced it.

[@LonestarTrips]

@@MatthewSmith-cv7op no, the bridge has been limited to 60 for decades due to the deterioration of the bridge and structures surrounding

[@drpamelatomcruise4517]

That's not right

[@scottmarcus6443]

The Acela Express from Boston to NYC averages 66 mph, one of the slowest trains in the world and slower than driving. 1/4 the speed of a Beijing / Shanghai train. America can't do trains, affordable medical care or maternity leave. We just aren't capable.

[@robertscott4759]

Is 150mph fast? In France, and many other countries, the trains do 200mph. I guess America isn't as advanced as they like to think they are.

[@LonestarTrips]

America has been very car-centric and airline centric, which saw the fall of the railroads in the 60s and 70s. This left us with the lackluster system we have now, with a top speed of 150. There are a couple lines in planning or construction that will reach 200-220mph, but it’ll be a while before they open.

[@altacalifornia2580]

Yes, 150mph is fast

[@yamoshigodofsaiyans1569]

Dont you know American rails are not as new as in Europe and Asia? Its why im glad they are replacing the rails so trains can travel faster

[@johnchambers8528]

One note on speed. Although the trains in the northeast are not as fast as the newest European or Asian trains they do make a big difference from the older trains that run the route. Compared to driving a car they easily beat that due to heavy traffic on the roads especially at weekday rush hours and holidays. Even using air service considering the extra time required to get to or from the airport as well as the time to clear security makes the existing higher speed trains competitive. To rebuild the existing route to true high speed modern standards would almost be impossible due to the built up areas between the cities and cost billions of dollars more than the existing plans to eliminate the existing slowdown parts of the existing tracks and bridges. Also that would only push the fares higher due to the cost to build and maintain the new trackage.

[@pastorjerrykliner3162]

So... Acela will save you a whopping 40 minutes between Washington, DC, and NYC...and "Business Class" gives you similar amenities to "First Class" service. So, aside from the Breakfast, it seems the ONLY thing riding "First Class" really gives you is the privilege of saying that you "rode First Class Acela" for some ungodly amount of money more than riding Coach on the NE corridor. I can't imagine why Amtrak doesn't make more money... Oh, wait, yes I do...I can't image why people SPEND this amount of money to ride ACELA "first class." Amtrak should (1) MAKE "FIRST CLASS" truly first class, or (2) Lower rates. (Caveat: the only way I'll ever be doing this will be on "extra miles" from my Amtrak member miles...)

[@chrisransdell8110]

Not sure why you are so incredulous about Acela First Class. Are you surprised there are car choices other than a Hyundai Elantra too? FC on Acela gets you food, drinks (booze, albeit not very useful on this 8 am train), lounge access, priority boarding, extra points, a less busy and less noisy car which almost never has children in it AND you get to say you rode first class. I enjoyed the 2 times I've done it.

[@Geotpf]

​@@chrisransdell8110And bigger seats. Not that the ones in Business Class aren't fine, but clearly seats in a 2 1 configuration are going to be significantly wider than those in a 2 2. Plus, if you are traveling alone, you are guaranteed to truly be by yourself if you choose a single seat.

[@cigarsgunsanddiesel8032]

Too bad Acela only hits top speed NYC to Boston

[@LonestarTrips]

Did you watch the video?

[@justpf]

The US and Canadian train interior everytime puzzels--why the overhead *bins*. I see the necessity for them on a plane, but on a train?! Looks like your odd safety ancient safety regulations that also lead to horrendous design of public transport vehicles...

[@alpzepta]

Slow slow slow even China train is faster

[@paulsylvester1394]

That this is America’s fastest train is a big joke! The top speed is dead slow compared to Europe and Asia.

[@LonestarTrips]

Yeah it’s a real shame. The car-centric culture of the US and the rise of airline travel ruined the US rail network. Hopefully someday we’ll see more and better high speed trains in the US.

[@jayliu9723]

This is not about the train. This is how some Americans understand about themselves

[@donkey3187]

Americans for the most part arent interested in bullet trains. We like to travel by car or air.

[@agentrgwx8529]

Not sure how so many people can't see it but the country doesn't care that much about trains. That explains why there aren't ones going at the speed of light like the rest of the world or some shit

[@johnchambers8528]

See my note on previous comments about the cost and minimal benefits of trying to build a true high speed train in the northeast part of our country. 😊