I tried the new Acela train from NYC to Philly, and back. Here’s how it really is.

Commuting regularly between New York and Philadelphia is often a drag, largely because of Amtrak and its slow, smelly trains.

In the introduction of the NextGen Acela last week, I hoped to find a salve.

The NextGen trains are the first big upgrade to the Acela since 2000 when Amtrak launched its first high-speed service between Boston and D.C. The NextGens are faster, newer, more comfortable, and laden with amenities that will allegedly “elevate” the commute. I wanted to find out.

At The Inquirer, we don’t review a restaurant the day it opens, so I decided to give the new trains a week to settle into their tracks before hopping aboard.

Here’s what I experienced.

When I boarded the 10 a.m. Acela 2153 from New York’s Moynihan Train Hall, the outside of the train was so clean that I could see my reflection on the train’s body. Also reflected: the smiles of my fellow passengers, possibly the first time I’ve ever seen Amtrak riders without frowns.

When I stepped onto the train, it smelled … like nothing. Not like slowly rotting food under someone’s seat, not like room spray cloaking that smell, and not like the bathroom needed a deep clean. It was just clean sterility.

I am a firm mattress girl, and when I took my business-class seat by the window — it’s assigned seating, like the other Acelas — I almost yelped in joy. Yes, they were firm and squeaky clean — as opposed to the fraying, stained, and sometimes sunken ones in the older trains — but also came with padded headrests that are designed so my head could never roll over to the shoulder of my co-passenger.

As a big proponent of train naps, this was a big win for me.

There’s a reading lamp on the headrest; the space in between seats has USB charging options and a double power outlet for plugged devices; a little cupholder sits outside the food tray so you don’t have to pull out the whole tray.

The holder’s ring is too wide for a soda can, though. I know because I did have to trouble myself and pull out the tray throne for my Diet Coke.

I also pulled the tray toward me after spending enough time staring at the unstained carpeted floor. I fished out my laptop and decided to test out my biggest pain point on Amtrak trains.

On the rare day the Wi-Fi on my usual Keystone line Amtrak train connects, it’s not fast enough to load an email inbox. Most days, I am stuck in the purgatory between the Wi-Fi pop-up window and the blessing of a connection.

The Acela NextGen promised 5G Wi-Fi, and boy did it deliver! I opened Airtable grids, read emails, and kept conversations going on Slack. The connection stayed fast and consistent through the trip and was, undoubtedly, my best Wi-Fi experience with Amtrak ever.

The motion-sensor-activated doors between passenger cars and the cafe car silently greet you as you see a cornucopia of treats, offering more options than I have seen in Amtrak cafe cars. On offer are to-go salads, a cheese tray, an antipasto tray, and sandwiches. Hot foods include mac and cheese, burgers, hot dogs, and breakfast sandwiches. The usual array of candy and packaged snacks is still available, as are alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. The cafe cars, however, don’t have additional seating.

But here’s the thing, if you want a beverage and have the first world problem of not really feeling like leaving your seat, you don’t have to. Much to the delight of my fellow passengers, a server pushed a cart laden with bottles and cans down the aisle to a happy chorus of “oohs” and “aahs.”

“It’s just like Europe,” exclaimed one nearby rider. “They’re bringing us drinks in a cart, like on a plane,” she said to someone on the phone.

Did I miss my Keystone train quiet car? I’m not sure because the novelty of the cart made up for it. Cart service is expected to continue in the business-class cars. First-class travelers get at-seat meals.

Throughout my ride, cleaning crews came in often and wiped things down. The windows were so clean that it has instilled in me a newfound love for the parts of New Jersey that dot the train tracks. Never has the water of the Schuylkill looked that bright and blue from a train window.

The bathroom, with its color-blocked red shelves, chevron wallpaper, cream interiors, and curved door, gives off retro vibes straight out of a Wes Anderson film. The soap dispenser, tap, and hand dryer were all concealed right above the sink, with motion sensors that worked like magic.

In a major upgrade, there are changing tables in the bathrooms. It was definitely the cleanest and most well-stocked Amtrak bathroom I have ever visited.

I grew up in India and have taken the famously crowded Mumbai local trains. The NextGen trains are designed to tilt around curves more easily, and I can confirm that I barely felt the jerks and jumps of the Northeast Corridor.

The new trains are also fast. My ride was 20 minutes shorter than a non-Acela Amtrak — just over an hour from New York to Philly.

Cost wise, the tickets were comparable to regular Acela tickets. I bought the tickets 10 days before my trip, and the New York to Philly ticket cost $74, return was $144.

But the NextGen trains are not as frequent. Acelas are usually hourly during busy commute hours; Keystones and Northeast Regionals are more frequent. Just five of the 28 new trains have started running, and the rest will roll out over the next two years.

The bar cart and cafe are great, but the biggest draw of the new trains for me was their cleanliness. It is something that I miss the most on the Keystones and Northeast Regionals, but also perhaps something that Amtrak doesn’t have to wait another 25 years to roll out.

Would I take one again? Sure. But trains would have to be more frequent for me to plan commutes that get me to meetings on time.

Given the cost, I’ll probably buy NextGen tickets only for longer train rides.