Five Facts About Acela

If you’ve ever traveled on our Acela Express then you know the #AmtrakPerks are in an abundance. Leg room, quiet car, work space and speed, it’s almost like a tiny piece of travel heaven.

We love being your mode of transportation taking you from downtown to downtown between Boston and Washington, D.C. But whether you’re riding Acela for a weekday meeting or a weekend getaway, it’s good to know the facts. Here’s our list of little-known Acela facts just for you!

Train-a-versary
Acela debuted on December 11, 2000 and we’ve been rolling strong along the Northeast Corridor ever since. In its first year of service, a million passengers hopped on and off, making for quite the memorable rookie year.

What’s In a Name
Every so often we get the question, “What does Acela actually mean?” Well, wonder no more. When naming our high speed rail service, we wanted it to stand for something. So we named it Acela, which is the combination of the words acceleration and excellence. Fitting, right?

By the Numbers
Each day, our Acela runs hourly service during rush hour making 16 stops along the Northeast Corridor. In November 2013, we had our single-best day in our history. The same year, Amtrak carried 31.6 million riders from point a to point b. You could say it was a good year.

First Class Perks
When you purchase an Acela First Class ticket, you have access to our Club Acela lounge which means you get #AmtrakPerks even before you get on the train. Our first class riders also receive a complimentary meal from our expanded menu while gliding on the rails with us.