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

Business Insider's reporter booked first-class tickets on Amtrak Acela trains three years apart. Joey Hadden/Business Insider I told myself I'd never upgrade to first class on the Amtrak Acela again. But when the train line debuted a new Acela train in 2025, I decided to give it another chance. My second ride was much better than the first, but I still thought it was too expensive. 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.