Baltimore to Boston - Acela Vs Northeast Regional

[benjibear]

Ok, so me and my wife are going to take the train from Baltimore to Boston and back in March.

I looked up prices and I am finding that Northeast Regional is $136 and the Acela Express is $320, both prices are for one way.

So this past summer I was to Boston and did take the Acela up and the Regional back because that was what worked out time wise and my company was paying. I was not impressed with the Acela at all. The seats were bad and it was crowded. It only saves about an hour of time on a 7 hour Northeast Regional trip which I don't think was a big deal. I think the seats on the Northeast Regional coach was much more comfortable.

What am I missing here? I don't see the Acela advantage unless I had money to burn.

So I booked the Northeast Regional.

 

[amamba]

Personally I find the seats on acela more comfortable, but there are others that agree with you. if you prefer the regional take that Sometimes depending on the bucket the price variation will be different - I have seen some days with the acela actually costing less than the regional!

 

[benjibear]

Ok, I have heard and read that Acela can be cheaper then a regional. But when does this happen? When the stars and moon allign on the 6th Tuesday of the 13th month of the year?

 

[Bob Dylan]

:hi: As has been said, the Acela seats arent all that comfortable compared to the Regionals! And if you are paying, the Acela can be pricey! I think everyone should get to experience Acela First Class, especially if it's on someone elses nickel! ^_^ Generally though, I always tell newbies that all things considered the Regionals are the way to ride the NEC UNLESS, as was said, the Buckets are lower on the Acela !(it does happen) Even Biz Class (nee Coach) on Acela isnt a bad way to ride, at least when the Buckets are High on Regionals and Low on Acela!! Sounds like you made a good decision!

 

[amamba]

Ok, I have heard and read that Acela can be cheaper then a regional. But when does this happen? When the stars and moon allign on the 6th Tuesday of the 13th month of the year?

Fairly often during peak travel times for college students or on weekends.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

What am I missing here? I don't see the Acela advantage unless I had money to burn.

Whatever you are missing I'm apparently missing as well. Having tried both I generally go with the Regional. The price difference is usually too much for me to stomach for a minor improvement in scheduling. The Acela looks newer but didn't seem much faster or smoother and I've heard that some of the speed improvement actually comes from arbitrary restrictions on the regionals that hold them back a bit. -_-

 

[afigg]

Ok, I have heard and read that Acela can be cheaper then a regional. But when does this happen? When the stars and moon allign on the 6th Tuesday of the 13th month of the year?

When the Regionals sells a lot of tickets putting it into the high bucket category while the Acela has not gotten there (yet). I encountered this several weeks ago when I was making reservations for Christmas weekend travel. The Acela was a few bucks cheaper at that time than the Regional on the Monday afternoon after Christmas. So I booked the Acela.

As for the perennial Acela vs Regional question, the Acela seats have more leg room than the Regional coach, the Acela has bigger windows, and I find the Acela seats to be comfortable. If the comparison is Acela versus Regional business class, there is probably little difference in leg room or seat pitch, but I don't have the numbers on hand. However, the Regional coach class seats are also comfortable and have a seat pitch in the same range as typical business class on domestic airline flights.

With both the Acela and NE Regionals now equipped with free WiFi, that Acela advantage has been closed. Take whichever train suits your needs and budget, really.

 

[jb64]

I prefer the regionals to Acela Business Class. I hate the lighting on the Acela.

 

[johnny.menhennet]

For the price differential involved, I would take the Regional, for sure

 

[benjibear]

When I was on the Acela, no matter how I tried to adjust the tilt on the seat I wasn't comfortable.

It sounds like the lower price on the Acela happens once the regional gets more full and the Acela has not yet filled. By booking early, I assume I will get the best price.

 

[gatelouse]

The only time I pick Acela for personal travel is if I'm looking to get a lot of rail (now tier qualifying) points in a hurry. Booking BOS-NYP-WAS-NYP-BOS on Acela (get on/off in BAL, no one will care) will earn 2000 points toward Select. Toss in a few upgrade coupons and you can get up to 3000.

When there's a double or triple point promo on, the value of the extra AGR points can really reduce the effective cost difference between the Acela and Regional trains.

AGR aside, I agree with the plurality here--the best way to ride the NEC, in my opinion, is in a Regional quiet car. Though the occasional Acela ride on the picturesque Shore Line is nice...those big windows come in handy there!

 

[VentureForth]

Is there food service on the regionals? How does it compare to business fare on the Acela?

 

[Long Train Runnin']

While I know its online somewhere I can't find the regional cafe menu. IIRC its not posted by Amtrak, but I think its somewhere on OTOL, although after a quick look around I couldn't find. That being said the Acela Cafe menu is provided by Amtrak and you can download the PDF by Clicking Here

 

[dlagrua]

Is there food service on the regionals? How does it compare to business fare on the Acela?

Food is not included in business class Regional or Acela fares. Unless you are in first class, the food in the Acela and the Regionals is typical "snack bar" food. Its OK in a pinch but I prefer bringing aboard my own meal. I have traveled on the Acela and Regional coach, and business class (and the Metroliners in the past)many times. The Acela has more flash and is newer looking but from where I pick it up it only saves 15 minutes to WAS at often 4 times the price. IMO its not worth 4X the price of the NE Regional trains, especially now that the Regionals reportedly have installed WIFI. It seems that the Acela traveler is typically a business person and traveling on company paid tickets. This is probably why Amtrak can charge a huge premium for it.

 

[afigg]

Is there food service on the regionals? How does it compare to business fare on the Acela?

Of course there is. The NE Regionals have a café car which has a somewhat different menu from the Acelas with the Acela café having a wider menu, but I would consider them fairly similar. You have a selection of microwavable dishes, sandwiches, beer, snacks.

The café cars in the NE Regionals and other trains with Amfleet I café cars have tables that people sit at and use. The Amfleet I tables are often all in use on the NE Regionals. The Acela café car has a not very useful design of stools, high counters, and a lot of wasted space. It is rare, in my trips on the Acela, to see anyone or more than 1 or 2 persons using the seating area in the Acela café car.

 

[sttsxm]

it's funny, for 1 trip next week from TRE to WAS, the ONE Acela that stops in TRE is cheaper than some of the regionals....of course it's at 6:50-ish AM and that won't work for my relative...

I've only ridden Acela 3 times...once in Business and that was horrible. Too crowded, people sprawled over 2 seats, dirty cars, stinky with stale food smells and the conductors refused to ask people to pick up their crap.

The other 2 times were in 1st class...on AGR points. THAT was wonderful--if only for the food and beverages!

It's fun to do...and if the cost works out, 1st class is cool....otherwise, i will suck it up on Regional trains, in the quiet car please....

 

[amamba]

As gate louse mentioned, another big benefit to acela is the bonus "select city pairs." This year I have 8500 rail points and most of them come from trips on acela. I will gladly pay an extra $40 for 500 rail points instead of 100 rail points. Or in my case, with my upgrade certs, if it only costs $40 - $50 more to take acela, it's a great deal because I get to ride FC and get 750 rail points instead of 100 or 130 rail points.

 

[NETrainfan]

We prefer the Regional in general. Enjoy the slow trip along the CT coast. Only use Acela to make a time connection.

 

[acelafan]

I am with you; I primarily use Acela when I need to connect to a LD train in a tight window. They should get priority scheduling.

 

[Shawn Ryu]

Personally I find the seats on acela more comfortable, but there are others that agree with you. if you prefer the regional take that Sometimes depending on the bucket the price variation will be different - I have seen some days with the acela actually costing less than the regional!

Disagreed, I find Amfleet seats to be more comfortable.

Regional is cheaper and its not that much slower, to justify paying extra 40, 50 bucks.

 

[jacorbett70]

January 16 2012 (MLK Day) has one Regional $133 BOS-NYP while Acela $101 about the same time.

 

[VentureForth]

For what it's worth, in the whole month of March 2012, your prices are the lowest buckets available for both the Regional and the Acela. I suppose I'd just go coach on the Regionals unless I had some AGR points to bump up to Business Class, but that's hardly worth the upgrade cost...

 

[rrdude]

I don't think there's any comparison between the Acela and the NER. I had to opt for the NER going / returning from BWI to NYP last w/end with the family. The Acela seats are more comfortable, drop-down tables are way sturdier on the Acela, food selection is better, and it's def a smoother, quieter ride. Add to that the ability to upgrade to first class, earn "City-Pair" bonus points, and it's a done deal for me.

 

[Ispolkom]

I've really tried to like Acela, but there's no way I can justify the extra expense in dollars or AGR points. The times I've traveled First Class I haven't been terribly impressed by the food or service, though I will admit that the windows are big and the bathrooms have always been very clean. In the OP's case, it's $68 NER vs. $160 Acela business class. For a hundred bucks I can buy food to bring on the train, squint out the tiny windows and put up with some squalor.

The only reason I could think of paying the premium for Acela travel would be if I needed tier qualifying points at the end of the year, and lived somewhere that status mattered.

 

[amamba]

Personally I find the seats on acela more comfortable, but there are others that agree with you. if you prefer the regional take that Sometimes depending on the bucket the price variation will be different - I have seen some days with the acela actually costing less than the regional!

Disagreed, I find Amfleet seats to be more comfortable.

Regional is cheaper and its not that much slower, to justify paying extra 40, 50 bucks.

Well I don't know about you, but my time is worth more than $50/hour. And the time difference I think is more pronounced between BOS - NYP than on the southern half of the trip. I can save about 45 minutes on the aclea vs. the regional.