Jan
20
Acela Express Trains
January 20, 2006 | Comments Off
(Re-post from January 25, 2004 on Anes Weblog.)
It was a cold, New England winter morning on Track 1 platform on Route 128 Amtrak Station. I watched the twin headlights of the Acela Express front car approaching me as if it was a dream come true.
Acela Express, a high-speed train that takes you from Boston to New York in little more than three hours,
has been in operation for several years now. As much as I love trains, I have always followed the hoards to the airport to take the 45min flight that requires 1hr car travel to the airport, 30min security check wait, an hour before boarding time, some time on taxi for the occasional delay or mechanical malfunction, some more time on the
ground while the pilot parks the plane, and an hour or two on a taxi once you arrive to NYC, all for double the price. If you did checked luggage, just add more wait time there.
This time I decided to follow my instincts and try the train. So far I am delighted. My reasons… lets try to enumerate:
- Plenty of parking, at half the price - In Logan you risk having to go to the overflow parking. If you happen to be lucky and grab a convenient parking space, it will put you down $22 to $24 for the day,
versus the $10 on the Amtrak parking — paid using your Fast Lane tag. - No Security Checkpoint – no hassles for the responsible traveler. Terrorists? They will always manage to bypass the checkpoint anyway.
- No lines - No lines to get your ticket, no lines to board the vehicle, no lines to store your carry-on luggage.
- More baggage allowance - I can live with the one carry-on plus a personal item. By US standards, I only carry two personal items while traveling, regardless of trip length. However, for the average
traveler, this means they don’t have to check in their luggage, and can shave about an hour of their travel experience. - Keep your mind in the upright position - You can have your tray tables and seat backs anyway you want, at any point during your trip. No seatbelts either (although I would not mind using them if they provided
them). - You are part of this world - Cell phones, two-way pagers, and electronic equipment is permitted during your whole trip. You are not incommunicado. You can actually work or have fun during the trip.
There is a 3 prong 120V AC power outlet on your seat, just in case you want to plug the laptop, charge the cellphone, or watch a DVD movie. - The space - Compared to a regional jet (those efficient and fast doll house sized jets built by the Canadians and the Brazilians) you feel like you are in the couch of your living room on the Business Class
seats (no coach class on Acela Express). - The window is about 10 times larger - and you actually get to see something else beside clouds.
- The food - although not free, I just had a bagel sandwich and a hot chocolate that challenges any bag of peanuts with a soda that they may decide to give you on a plane, for a reasonable $5. It saved me the
aggravation of having to buy and pack food for my trip. - Destination - My meeting is in New York. I arrive at Penn Station, which is a quick taxi ride away from my client. Any of the airports is a long, costly ride away from them.
- Lack of Noise - I ussually need my Bose Quiet Comfort noise canceling headphones. I still use them on the train, but I would not feel too bad if I left them home. The noise is minimal compared to a plane.
- The price - Roundtrip, unrestricted fare: less than $200. You may find a coach class restricted fare for that price. But if you want the same flexibility, be prepared to pay upwards of $400 for the plane trip.
From now on, I will avoid plane travel into NYC. If only the US had more fast trains, like Western Europe and Japan.
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