I gave Amtrak first class another shot on a new train fleet. It was better in every way — but still not worth the price.

There’s only one Amtrak train with first-class seating. I’ve ridden it twice.

The train line’s first-class cars are exclusive to the Acela, a Northeast express service that has business and first-class cars (no coach).

In 2022, I took a $270 first-class Acela ride from New York City to Baltimore and thought it wasn’t worth the upgrade. But I love Amtrak — I’ve spent more than 150 hours traveling the country on its trains.

So in August 2025, when Amtrak debuted the NextGen Acela, a fresh new fleet for the same service, I was excited to see if the first-class experience had changed.

I booked a trip from Washington, DC, to NYC less than a month…