Acela Express trains travel between Boston and Washington D.C. multiple times a day. Choose a first-class upgrade for complimentary meal service and free beverages along with hot towels. All passengers can stop by the on-board cafe and have access to free WiFi and electrical outlets at seats.
Things to Know
- The Acela Express is 30 minutes to 1 hour faster than the Northeast Regional train depending on your start and end stations.
- First class seating has single seat options, so you don’t have to sit next to anyone
- Busy times/full trains tend to be Monday morning and in the afternoon on Thursday and Friday.
Schedule
You can view current schedules via Google Maps or when booking your tickets. If you know your start and end stations, you can also use the Amtrak website to create a custom timetable.
Schedule highlights:
- Southbound trains depart about every hour starting around 5 a.m. in Boston
- Trip time is 3.5 to 4 hours between Boston and New York City
- Trip time between New York and DC is about 3 hours
- The first northbound train departs Washington D.C. around 5 a.m.
Reviews
Top tips and takeaways from passenger reviews:
- Comfortable seats
- Acela can be quieter than the Northeast Regional train and gets priority on the tracks
- It is cheaper and just as comfortable to ride business class on the Northeast Regional trains (not all reviewers found it worth the extra cost to ride Acela unless it was a business expense)
- There are some great views of Manhattan when you are traveling northbound from New York City
Major Stops
- Boston
- New York City
- Philadelphia
- Baltimore
- Washington D.C.
Stations
Note that different trains stop at different stations, though all stop at the five major cities above.
- Boston, MA – South Station (BOS)
- Boston, MA – Back Bay Station (BBY)
- Route 128, MA (RTE)
- Providence, RI – Amtrak/T Station (PVD)
- New London, CT – Union Station (NLC)
- New Haven, CT – Union Station (NHV)
- Stamford, CT (STM)
- New York, NY – Penn Station (NYP)
- Newark, NJ – Penn Station (NWK)
- Metropark, NJ (MET)
- Trenton, NJ (TRE)
- Philadelphia, PA – 30th Street Station (PHL)
- Wilmington, DE (WIL)
- Baltimore, MD – Penn Station (BAL)
- Baltimore, MD – BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI)
- Washington, DC – Union Station (WAS)
Attractions
- Boston
- Brown University
- Rhode Island State House
- Thames River
- Ikea New Haven
- Knights of Columbus Museum
- Manhattan
- Madison Square Garden
- Empire State Building
- Drexel University
- University of Pennsylvania
- Schuylkill River Trail
- Delaware History Museum
- Delaware Children’s Museum
- The Delaware Contemporary Art Gallery
- Wilmington Rowing Center
- U.S. Capitol
- Washington D.C. Museums
