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I booked a business-class ticket on the new Amtrak Acela train. It wasn’t worth the $180 price tag.

by with No Comment Xpandfy

  • I paid $180 to ride in business class from NYC to Washington, DC, on the new Amtrak Acela train.
  • The train had modern amenities, like 5G WiFi, high-tech bathrooms, and ergonomic seating.
  • Despite upgrades, the high price outweighed the benefits of traveling in business class.

I’ve spent 26 hours riding the rails in business class around the world. My most recent Amtrak trip was the best business-class experience I’ve ever had in the US — but it still wasn’t worth the price tag.

In September 2025, I booked a business-class ticket from New York City to Washington, DC, on the Amtrak NextGen Acela train for $180.

The three-hour ride felt extremely comfortable and a tad luxurious. In the end, though, I couldn’t see myself splurging for it again.

I rode from New York City to Washington, DC, on the Amtrak NextGen Acela train.

The exterior of the Amtrak NextGen Acela train.

Joey Hadden/Business Insider

The Amtrak Acela is an express service between Boston and Washington, DC. The train line introduced a new fleet on the route in August 2025, known as NextGen Acela.

In addition to being the fastest Amtrak train with a top speed of 160 miles per hour, the NextGen Acela has modern interiors and high-tech amenities.

I booked a business-class ticket for $180.


An aerial view of an Amtrak NextGen Acela pamphlet opened on a tray table

A brochure on the train.

Joey Hadden/Business Insider

The Amtrak Acela trains only have two classes — business and first. I booked my business-class ticket for $180.

Out of curiosity, I looked at the pricing for coach seating on the regional Amtrak train, which is 30 minutes slower than the Acela. It was $40.

When I arrived at Penn Station in NYC, I sat on the floor to wait for my train.


Passengers stand in line to board trains inside Penn Station in NYC.

The line to board the author’s train.

Joey Hadden/Business Insider

My train was scheduled to leave at 10 a.m., but there was a 90-minute delay. Since I was stuck at the station for longer than anticipated, I briefly considered going to the Metropolitan Lounge, an elevated space overlooking the train hall with cozy seating and complimentary refreshments.

First-class passengers and those traveling in sleeper accommodations can get into the lounge for free, but other Amtrak riders have to pay $50 to access it.

Since I’d already splurged on the business-class ticket, I decided to skip the lounge and head to the standard waiting room instead, but it was full. I finally settled for a seat on the floor against the wall until it was time to board.

Since I wasn’t in first class, I didn’t get priority boarding.


A composite image of people going down an escalator and boarding a train on an underground platform

Passengers board the train.

Joey Hadden/Business Insider

When I got in line to board, I was reminded that business class is just a standard ticket on the Amtrak Acela. Unlike business-class rides I’ve taken that also had coach seating, this trip didn’t include the perk of priority boarding.

The business-class car had a sleek, modern look.


Inside a business class Amtrak car with two passengers on the right

Inside the business-class car.

Joey Hadden/Business Insider

Retractable window shades, exposed overhead bin space, informative screens, and ergonomic seats made the car feel like a step up compared to business-class Amtrak trains I’ve booked in the past.

The seat was much more comfortable than most I’ve booked on Amtrak trains.


A composite image of an empty window seat on a train and the back of the seat in front of it

The author’s business-class seat.

Joey Hadden/Business Insider

Soft, cushy, spacious, supportive — these are the words that popped into my head when I settled into my business-class seat. A reclining function and footrest made the ride even more comfortable.

Power outlets, USB ports, and a reading light were all conveniently located on the side of the seat. In front of me was a tray table and a fold-out cupholder.

I spent most of the ride streaming YouTube videos.


A hand holds a phone playing a music video in front of a train seat back

The author watches music videos.

Joey Hadden/Business Insider

Most Amtrak trains I’ve been on have had WiFi, but in my experience, the connection has typically been too weak for much more than a Google search.

I was stoked when the NextGen Acela’s 5G WiFi was fast enough to stream YouTube videos without any issues. I passed the time by watching live sessions of my favorite bands.

The bathroom was spacious and clean with modern touches.


A composite image of a blue door leading to a business-class train bathroom and inside the bathroom with red accents, the author takes a mirror selfie

Inside the business-class bathroom.

Joey Hadden/Business Insider

I’ve learned to set the bar low for train bathrooms. Stocked toilet paper, soap, and paper towels are not a given. Cleanliness and extra space aren’t either. In my experience, some business-class bathrooms are no different from those in coach.

So I was ecstatic when I stepped inside the lavatory on the NextGen Acela. The automatic door opened into a spotless space that felt big enough for two people to do jumping jacks simultaneously.

I found it aesthetically pleasing too, with bold red accents and trendy touches, from the shelf to the mirror.

I also appreciated the touchless water, soap, and dryer functions on the sink.

Although it was much more comfortable than sitting in coach, I didn’t think a business-class ticket was worth the high price point.


Inside an empty coach cabin on an Amtrak train

A coach car on another Amtrak train.

Joey Hadden/Business Insider

“Amtrak travelers always have their preference,” an Amtrak representative wrote in an email to Business Insider. “If they want to experience these premium trains with enhanced amenities, they can. Or, if they prefer convenient and affordable downtown-to-downtown service up and down the Northeast Corridor, Northeast Regional trains offer a comfortable and enjoyable way to travel throughout the Northeast Corridor and points beyond.”

The next time I take an Amtrak train, I’ll miss the cozy seat, elevated bathroom, high-speed WiFi, and shorter travel time. Still, these perks weren’t enough for me to consider Acela’s business class to be worth more than quadruple the price of a coach ticket.




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What is Elon Musk’s net worth? Find out the wealth of the Tesla, SpaceX CEO

by with No Comment Xpandfy

Elon Musk has a net worth of around $638 billion, according to Bloomberg’s Billionaires Index.

His net worth is closely tied to Tesla’s share price, but the tech mogul’s wealth comes from several sources and often fluctuates. He crossed over the $600 billion threshold in December following an $800 billion valuation of SpaceX.

That means Musk regularly trades places with Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, and Oracle CEO Larry Ellison for the title of world’s richest person.

How has Musk’s net worth changed over time?

Musk, who was born in South Africa, moved to Canada and dropped out of a Ph.D. at Stanford, became a millionaire before he hit 30. Musk started Zip2, a website that provided city travel guides to newspapers, with his brother Kimbal Musk, and sold it to Compaq for more than $300 million in 1999. Musk, then aged 27, is believed to have got $22 million from the deal.

He went on to cofound online bank X.com in 1999. It soon merged with Peter Thiel’s Confinity to become PayPal, and the company was bought for $1.5 billion by eBay in 2002. Despite having been ousted as CEO, Musk walked away with around $165 million. 

Musk cofounded space-exploration company SpaceX in 2002. In 2004, he became an investor in and the chairman of EV company Tesla.

During the financial crisis in 2008, he saved Tesla from bankruptcy with a $40 million investment and a $40 million loan. That same year, he was named Tesla’s CEO.

Musk said 2008 was “the worst year of my life.” Alongside problems in his personal life, Tesla kept losing money and SpaceX was having trouble launching the first version of its Falcon rocket. By 2009, Musk was living off personal loans.

Tesla went public in 2010, though, and Musk’s estimated net worth steadily climbed. In 2012, he debuted on Forbes’ Billionaires List with an estimated wealth of $2 billion. 

In 2016, Musk set up the tunnel-digging business, the Boring Company.

The next year, he founded the neurotechnology startup Neuralink.

Musk’s net worth began a rapid ascent at the start of the pandemic as Tesla stock prices soared. Musk started 2020 with an estimated net worth of just under $30 billion and was worth around $170 billion just a year later — a more than five-fold increase in just a year. His estimated fortune peaked at around $340 billion in November 2021.

Musk also bought Twitter for $44 billion in October 2022, serving as its CEO until he stepped down in early June 2023.

The stock is known to be volatile and has had its ups and downs since then.

The morning of Trump’s reelection on November 6, 2024, which Musk heavily campaigned for, Tesla’s stock was up about 15%, for instance.

Following an insider share sale at SpaceX, which boosted the startup to a $350 billion valuation, Musk’s wealth surged again in December 2024 by about $50 billion in one day, making Musk the first billionaire to reach the $400 billion mark.

But in the months following its election highs, Tesla’s stock dropped by over 50% following a number of factors, including a vehicle sales slump, a rising Tesla boycott movement, and Musk’s stint in the US government, which some investors felt took him away from his day-in-day-out Tesla CEO duties.

Tesla’s stock rose back up following the CEO taking a step back from his role in the Department of Government Efficiency, but it continues to have big swings. Musk had one of his single-day highest net worth losses in June 2025 following a public spat on social media with the President, in which Trump floated the idea of having his government contracts revoked, and Musk repeatedly criticized Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill.”

The stock has since rebounded and was up over 25% in 2025 as of December.

Musk’s net worth reached unprecedented heights in December 2025, as Musk confirmed SpaceX was planning an IPO. After an insider share sale valued the private company at $800 billion, Musk’s estimated net worth surpassed $600 billion.

Musk was the first billionaire to have reached a net worth of over $500 billion, according to Forbes, making him one step closer to becoming the world’s first trillionaire.

Where does Musk’s fortune come from?

Musk’s wealth is largely dependent on Tesla shares. Though he takes no salary from Tesla, he’s awarded stock options when the company hits challenging performance metrics.

Musk’s previous $55 billion compensation plan was voided in January 2024 on the grounds that Musk had undue influence over the package and its approval due to close ties with several board members. At its annual shareholder meeting in 2024, investors voted to approve Musk’s pay package. However, the judge upheld the original ruling, and the company has since appealed the decision.

A compensation package Tesla proposed for its CEO in September 2025 could turn Musk into the first trillionaire. The unprecedented plan included a new set of 12 milestones to be completed over a 10-year period, such as boosting the company’s valuation to $8.5 trillion, selling 12 million cars, getting a million robotaxis on the road, and coming up with a succession plan.

A large part of Musk’s net worth comes from Tesla shares, while roughly over 20% comes from SpaceX stock.

The rest of his wealth comes from shares in Twitter and The Boring Company, as well as other miscellaneous liabilities.




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