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Kirby's Korner · October 27, 2000

The first time I was on a train -- taking a short trip from Columbus, Ohio, to Zanesville, Ohio, with my parents and two brothers -- I remember distinctly the dining car, where we went for a soft drink: crystal, china, and linen.

The last time I was on a train, last summer -- a longer business trip between Washington and New York -- I ate crackers and cheese, dipped in packets of mustard, out of a pre-packaged plastic container.

But just before that last trip, I saw a huge display behind the ticket counter promoting Amtrak's upcoming Acela service. I asked the attendant about it, and she rolled her eyes -- not in a condescending way, but in a way that told me to back off.

"That's not something I should ask about?" I asked anyway.

"Ummm -- please," she responded.

Enough time has passed. Amtrak is now promoting its Acela service between Washington and Boston, set to debut Dec. 11. And it should bring back some romance to train travel -- despite protests by Amtrak officials that Acela is aimed squarely at the business traveler.

We won't see It Happened One Night, exactly, played out on a train trip, but we'll see quicker service and -- perhaps -- even a return to china and linens. Amtrak promises this for its first class customers, along with "at seat meals."

The main advantage of Acela's high-speed trains is that it'll provide vastly more comforts than airplanes and cut off several minutes from today's trip -- making the Acela competitive with today's Washington-New York-Boston air trip.

Even without Acela, I'd take the train almost every time. I live a 10-minute drive from Regan National Airport and a 15-minute drive (without rush-hour traffic) from Washington's Union Station. Given equal access to Northeast Corridor transportation venues -- and even ignoring the airline-over-train price multiple of two -- Amtrak is a no-brainer for me. It gets me to downtown New York without worrying about traffic jams or tunnels.

Acela, with its 150-miles-per-hour in Rhode Island and Massachusetts, may not top much of what Amtrak offers today, but it's still a travel option worth considering. Roomier seats. Electrical connections.

Don't be confused by one thing: "Acela" is a marketing term used by Amtrak that does not mean high-speed trains. "Acela" involves, instead, a refocusing of current Northeast Corridor trains into a new paradigm. You'll get high-speed trains there, but you'll also get the old Metroliner.

Look for "Acela Express" if you want to be guaranteed the fastest service. And, outside the Northeast Corridor, look for service soon in the Midwest, in California, and in the "Atlantic Corridor" (Washington to Richmond, Va., to [ultimately] Charlotte, N.C., to Atlanta.)

Other Ticked columnists have had different reactions to train travel. The Occidental Tourist had a fun time earlier. Even grumpy Chris Elliott had positive things to say in an otherwise train-bashing column.

(Security expert Terry Riley wrote the funniest non-Acela, pro-train piece I've ever read. Trust me on this.)

Folks in the Northeast should prepare for an adventure, while U.S. citizens everywhere else look forward to improvements. Who knows -- people in this advanced country may one day enjoy the benefits available to all in Europe or Japan.

David Kirby is the content manager at start-up company iJET.com and was the founding editor of Interactive Travel Report. His column appears on Friday. You can reach him at david@ticked.com.