What it was like on Amtraks new Acela NexGen trains

15 January, 2026 Orlo Goodwin 0 Comments 1 category

Amtrak has joined the 21st century with brand new trains now in service on key routes in the U.S.

I’ve been incredibly interested in and looking forward to the new Amtrak next-generation train sets that are finally traveling the busy Northeast Corridor after years and years of delays. Our initial look was at the trains in 2022 (although we did not begin official service until this year) but they didn’t start official services until after that.

Amtrak has been a long-standing rival of Asian and European train operators for decades, but these new trains are incredibly lucrative to the U.S. A , S. Laugh up catch up . These modernacela next generation cars run at 160 miles an hour and use 20% less energy compared to the one that was upgraded in 2000.

They are also behind the high-speed TGV trains that run around France, and were built by Alstom, the French company which sparked the new cars. It is produced in America at the Alstom manufacturing facility in Hornell, New York where the cars are made.

The new train cars hold 386 passengers. That’s a big capacity jump over the older trains.

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I was jumped at the chance to try out the new trains on a recent round trip from New York City to Philadelphia.

It’s business class and first class on the new trains, here’re what it was like in business classes and a lounge experience.

Metropolitan Lounge at Moynihan Station

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It is a peaceful way to spend an hour or two before your train (if you are leaving New York City) in the Metropolitan Lounge at Moynihan Train Hall. station is in the old post office, and it’s a good way to start. train journey? It’s a lounge upstairs from the main hall, where you can find the .

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When traveling first class, you get free lounge access. And you can also buy a $50 pass for . The lounges at Old Amtrak are $35 for (Other Amarak Lounges). ) , who has been.

The space is beautiful.

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My favorite feature is the terrace, which offers sweeping views of the gorgeous new Moynihan Train Hall.

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The free food and drinks were good, I was there breakfast sandwiches, muffins, packaged nuts, overnight oats (along with pumpkin donuts), croissant-and other things that you can get. I tried the breakfast sandwich and a cappuccino,’ said . That’s a pretty good sandwich, according to . The best comparison I can think of is one from Dunkin’ Donuts.

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La Colombe (a high-end coffee brand) is a espresso drinker, cold brew and the higher-priced hot coffee maker. There’s also a bar, which was closed while I was there and is . wines such as Oyster Bay sauvignon blanc and a Sebastiani Cherryblock cabernet sauveignon were also available.

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Once your train is ready for boarding, they announce the track number in the lounge.

First class passengers can skip the main line and get to board first.

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First class on Amtrak Acela new NextGen trains

First class car NextGen. CLINT HENDERSON/THE POINTS GUY

It was a long line to get into the first-class car and boarding with ‘the longest line of s going through. The workers’ fault, however, wasn’t the reason for it; there was a passenger in. motorized wheelchair who had to be boarded before rest of the passengers were on board. We were about 15 minutes late from the station, a bit after we had left the .

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The seats onboard are organized in 1-2 configuration row of single seats, one side rows and the other two rows of double seats. seats are a 42 inches high pitch pitch with an impressive parody from paraphrasing. A cabin with very few empty seats was nearly full, containing almost all the passengers of .

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The ergonomic seats were fine. I think they will be more comfortable as they wear in the , but still a bit firm. In the very back of the train car I was in seat 1A. The pops of red add a nice touch to the first-class car, and it’s nice to have modern finishes.”

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Every seat is also a leg rest with . A button pushes the seats out, as does ‘s seat slide out. I got the recline pretty limited so napping is hard for some riders, and it’s a bit of.

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tray tables, which are 10. 5 inches in length and 17 inches wide. My laptop was fine, but it was hard to get eat when trying to ate.

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There’s a cup holder on the outside of the tray.

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There are reading lights at every seat, and individual power outlets feature three-prong AC outlets and USB-A ports.

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It is the bathroom in the vestibule between the first-class car and business- class car behind the bath,’ . Half-moon shape It’s a half-masoch with the door being curved and opening into. large room with touchless controls, such as door and flush buttons (and other touches).

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A major improvement over the older Acela train sets is that it has been a great step forward, but as with all Amtrak trains, this challenge will be keeping the lavatories clean in time.

On the double-seat side there is one set of seats with a shared table in the single-seated aisle and just one more on the same aisle.

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The new cars feature retractable window shades.

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For example, this shot of Philadelphia in the distance is a good view on the route; all that means it’s better to take into the windows.

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While a full-size suitcase might feel slightly risky up there, it had lots of overhead space above the seats for the open racks that were on the floor.

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I had a luggage rack at the front of the car, but that was quickly filled up when I got my very full train.

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Similarly, I liked the new digital signage throughout this car (and on its exterior of the car too). At the end, those digital signs above the seat should be a little more information than they are supposed to be.

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About 10 minutes after boarding, the train finally left Moynihan.

Upon arrival, cabin attendant Danielle said staff would soon serve drinks and free meals. Both she and Antonio were working the first-class cabin, and did their best to smooth out a jarring boarding process.

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Almost every hour from New York City to Philadelphia, there was an incredibly meal service (even for passengers taking the short) that just over one hour journey.

It was a compelling menu, with breakfast options of fresh seasonal fruit and oatmeal chia coconut pudding, omelet in Denver or Mediterranean quiche.

The lunch was also sexy the cheese and fruit plate, Tuscan meatballs or burrata platter with prosciutto.

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The meal service started with a ramekin of nuts.

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We got off in Philadelphia and I took the cheese and fruit plate, so they gave me the first chance to order from the workers who were offering us with a copy of our orders. It was a delicious and perfect snack on’very short train trip’, with its mouth full of flavours.

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Most of the trip was a 5-G Wi-Fi, which was excellent for most of it. It allowed me to upload photos and screenshots without any problem, .

Internet speed test. OOKLA SPEEDTEST

The train arrived at speed after we left the most crowded section of New Jersey once it was in traffic. How sure is my speedometer app, which uses my phone’s GPS to find miles per hour readings, really works? It did, however, show the new Acela train soaring 163 miles per hour at one point.

Speedometer app screenshot. SPEEDOMETER/TIM O’S STUDIO

The new cars will eventually be 186 miles per hour, engineers hope, but that means major infrastructure improvements in the Northeast Corridor (some of which are already under way) would require big infrastructure upgrades. Despite the high speeds, they offer passengers a smoother and quieter ride than those of older Acela train sets because their new trains are equipped with ‘Til system’ (i.e.

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I came back to Philadelphia a few minutes late, just under . The new cars made the ride even better, and it was a fun way to travel with paraphrasingr. Hopefully, as more of the new cars are introduced in the system, prices will drop and they’ll be slightly less crowded. The new cars are certainly in demand, of course, according to .

Metropolitan Lounge Philadelphia

Metropolitan Lounge at William H Macy III Philadelphia Amtrak Station.

Metropolitan Lounge at William H Gray III 30th Street Philadelphia Amtrak Station. CLINT HENDERSON/THE POINTS GUY

Unlike the one in New York City, it is not as nice as the Philadelphia lounge; there is also a Metropolitan Lounge at William H. The Philadelphia Amtrak Station, Gray III 30th Street, is a . This is a first-class ticket or by purchasing ‘day $35 lounge pass’.

While there are some snacks and a number of seats, it’s an area that needs to be renovated but this space is under the radar. It’s a big upgrade for the whole station, and I hope they will show some love to the lounge as well as that entire station.

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Service, however, is excellent and friendly. The best part is that when your train is near the arrival, staff escorts you straight down to the tracks in a special elevator. Now that’s cool, as is .

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Our train was running a bit late, and I ended up hanging out on the tracks for about 20 minutes before our New York City-bound train arrived.

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I wouldn’t recommend arriving at the lounge early, but it’s nice that there is a separate space at all.

Business class PHL to NYP

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I was on another NextGen train for the trip home to New York City.

Following that, all the cars after this one are business-class trains (like in traditional Acela trains) A 2-2 layout is used to arrange seats for s, and the seat arrangement is made up of seats.

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I had been last row of the third car in seat 12C and no one was around me next to me – treat, as the train is fairly full again?

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Many of the seats here are forward-facing, while others are in the opposite direction (which can lead to a lot of direct eye contact).

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Like first-class seats, the seat slides forward rather than reclining (as opposed to recline) and is similar to the seats that slide forward. reading lights and electrical outlets at each one of the ‘s. The pitch of seats in business class is pretty generous, with 38 inches for seat pitches. The blue accent colors I like are my favorite s.

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As in first class, there are tray tables and leg rests at each seat like they do for a . An elevator pamphlet on the cafe’s car or via cart service explains what food in the café is like, for example, a seatback pamplet describes the type of food that can be found at the restaurant.

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A friendly attendant brought out a cart for service during the journey with wine, beer and light bites on offer.

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I also stopped by the cafe car.

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There were grab-and-go options in coolers, including soda, water, juice and sandwiches.

The cafe car on Amtrak’s new NextGen Acela train. CLINT HENDERSON/THE POINTS GUY

One option that caught my eye was an antipasto tray for $15.

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And you could also buy a classic Amtrak fruit and cheese plate for $15. One of the best hot options was a $5 Hebrew National hot dog. Angus beef cheeseburger for $8 or 75, an angus meat cheese Burger. Paraphrasing 50.

I’m back from a trip that went by fast, and when I have to travel the Northeast Corridor again (provided the price is right) I would happily book the new trains.

Booking

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If you want to ride on one of the new cars, then you’ll have to pay special attention when booking. At the end of this, 28 of the new cars will be running up and down the Northeast Corridor; that’s not until 2027. Only five train sets were in service at launch in August, when was launched.

When booking, look for the “NextGen” label next to the route. On the website, you can see that “NextGen” label is listed under premium booking.

Amtrak booking page showing new “NextGen” train cars. AMTRAK

Next generation train sets are only in business class or first class, and they can be found as a next-generation train set. With a round-trip ticket for the business class between New York City and Philadelphia, I was on my way to get ahead of time with $136. It’s very expensive to get a , so that’. I booked a month in advance for .

Amtrak Guest Rewards: How to earn and redeem points with train travel

As you can see, a first-class ticket would have cost between $217 and $254 each way when I looked.

Amtrak booking page showing new “NextGen” train cars. AMTRAK

I booked my ticket, so Amtrak’s upgrade bidding system confirmed what they call an “instant upgrade” to first class for $91. My company was saved $67 by booking that way instead of when I actually booked it.

Amtrak email confirming a purchased upgrade. AMTRAK

One thing to remember Your train could be changed out for an older one last minute, if you’re your . Amtrak’s website Here is the warning from .

Amtrak could occasionally substitute trains (including NextGen Acela trains) for another equipment type and such changes are allowed under the Terms and Conditions without warning. He said ‘Although s are in the line, “

If that happens to you and you have some flexibility, I’d ask to be switched to the next NextGen train.

Bottom line

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What magical about rail travel is there’s something magic about travelling by rail, . A better reason to travel the Northeast Corridor by train is that it will be a more convenient option for the new Acela NextGen trains, which offer an even greater purpose. I would like to see Amtrak offer some better deals on the trips but if you can get a deal, then try out the new train sets.

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Category: Reviews