Inside business class of the Acela Express
The fastest train in North America is the Acela Express. Although it can travel at twice the speed of conventional rail, it is still a far cry from express rail networks of Europe and Asia. The Acela Express operates once an hour between Boston and Washington, D.C. I took the train on one of its shorter services from Baltimore to Washington, D.C. It runs exclusively on business and first class targeting mainly business travellers who require speed and comfort.
Buffet car with Hebrew hot dogs available
The interior of the train is amiable, albeit quite dated. The seats are made of thick foam material covered by faux leather with booths available in some areas. There’s a buffet car for on-board snacks and full meals are available to first class passengers with at-seat service. While the Acela Express is faster than the regular service (25% faster on my journey), Amtrak is unreliable at best.
Hebrew hot dog
My train came so late that the next hourly departure arrived before my train called at Baltimore Penn Station. If my train wasn’t late, I could’ve been back to D.C. by the time it actually left Baltimore. So much for the overpriced “express”.
