Amtrak’s NextGen Acela is considered a “premium ride” for travelers, offering free high-speed Wi-Fi, individual USB ports, power outlets and reading lights. Fares for one-way business class service between Washington and New York on Friday, Aug. 29, ran $498 per traveler, according to Amtrak’s booking website.

I saved about 30 minutes by taking the Acela, an Amtrak express train on the East Coast with only business and first-class seating.

A new high-speed Amtrak train has officially made its first tracks along the Northeast Corridor. The NextGen Acela had its inaugural ride from Washington, D.C., to New York City's Penn Station on Wednesday morning.