Amtrak's NextGen Acela Begins Service This Week

If you’ve been taking Amtrak around the country, you’re not alone: Earlier this year, The Travel’s Reena Jain reported that the rail service set a new record for its total number of passengers during the 2024 fiscal year. Among the routes that saw an uptick in riders was the Acela line, which connects Boston to Washington, D.C. and is so far the only example of high-speed rail in the nation.

Acela travelers are about to experience an overhauled experience while traveling up and down the East Coast. The new version of Acela — known as NextGen Acela — is set to have its first day of revenue service on Thursday, Aug. 28, departing Boston that morning on a southbound trip.

What can travelers expect? Trains with a top speed of 160 miles per hour and a larger passenger capacity, for one thing — Amtrak’s announcement revealed that the new cars can hold 27% more passengers. Those passengers will have access to free 5G wifi, ergonomic seats and larger windows than those found on existing Acela trains, ideal for both sightseeing and seeing the gloriously passive-aggressive “Trenton Makes — The World Takes” sign in western New Jersey.

Among the other amenities are First Class meals designed by the James Beard Award-winning Stephen Starr — and, for First Class passengers, access to Amtrak’s Metropolitan Lounge at the station. Amtrak is also rolling out more food options for its cafe car, including adding some self-service options to the menu there.

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The arrival of NextGen Acela has been several years in the making; the 28 trains entering service began the process of being tested in early 2020. It’s a welcome piece of news that they’re entering service now, as well as encouraging news from Amtrak, who may be dealing with a crisis on their Keystone line if SEPTA funding issues are not worked out in the near future.

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Tobias Carroll

Tobias Carroll lives and writes in New York City, and has been covering a wide variety of subjects — including (but not limited to) books, soccer and drinks — for many years. His writing has been published by the likes of the Los Angeles Times, Pitchfork, Literary Hub, Vulture, Punch, the New York Times and Men’s Journal. At InsideHook, he has…