Passenger Trains > Blind window seats on Neo Acela first class

I watched a youtube video taken aboard the new Acela train which showed a seat in first class car 1 with absolutely no window at the seat.  The seat selection diagrams don't indicate window placement.  I have reserved seat 3A in first class car 1 on November 20 from DC to Boston.  How can I be sure of a window at my seat?   There is still time to change my seat selection.  There are probably similar blind window seats in the business class cars. 

If I pay for a window seat I expect a window there.  

cbqbill Wrote:
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> I watched a youtube video taken aboard the new
> Acela train which showed a seat in first class car
> 1 with absolutely no window at the seat.  The
> seat selection diagrams don't indicate window
> placement.  I have reserved seat 3A in first
> class car 1 on November 20 from DC to Boston. 
> How can I be sure of a window at my seat? 
>  There is still time to change my seat
> selection.  There are probably similar blind
> window seats in the business class cars. 
>
> If I pay for a window seat I expect a window
> there.  

Very unfortunate, and you're right. If you call something by an indicative name, and it has some impairment, that ought to be called out. With a phrase like "No window" or "impaired vision", or something like that. 

Delta and United Airlines are currently facing class action lawsuits for selling "window" seats that have no actual window. I'm not surprised. Customers are much more sensitive about such things today, understandably. Amtrak had better take note and be careful. They can little afford a legal action like that, and it would be a terrible blow to the branding image they want for the new NextGen Acelas.

MC

cbqbill -  check  the video again , I think Thom and Lindsey either say or show the seats they had riding between DC and Baltimore and it may give you a better idea . Good Luck !

Maybe they should call it a "wall" seat, though that's not a carbuilders term (they use "side", and "partition" for interior walls).  Or, use "obstructed view", like sports arenas do.

Information quoted below taken from an August 25th post on the Amtrak Next Generation Equipment Updates Facebook page: 

"PSA ALERT:
Just a heads up to everyone out there excited to ride the new NextGen Acelas; there ARE rows where you are in-between windows. So if you're looking for a view, do NOT book the following rows:

Car 1 (First Class): 1 and 3
Car 2 (Business Class): 5 (half) and 7
Cars 3-5 (Business): 1 (half), 3, 5, and 12 (half)
Cars 7-8 (Business): 2 (half), 9, 11, 13 (half)
Car 9 (Quiet Business): 5 (half), 7, 9 (half), 14, and 16 (half)

If a row is marked with "half" that means that that row is half window, half wall. The wall might be by your head, or window might be by your head depending on the specific car and row."

Some hotels have rooms with an "interior courtyard view."  In other words, you are on the inside, looking down to some grass and maybe a few trees and flowers.  Amtrak could list them as "interior view" seats, and you sure do not have to worry about a dirty window!

illini73 Wrote:
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> Maybe they should call it a "wall" seat, though
> that's not a carbuilders term (they use "side",
> and "partition" for interior walls).  Or, use
> "obstructed view", like sports arenas do.

I watched that video again and see that they were in 3 c and 3 d.  I just changed to 5 a.

VIA's Ventures also have some "wall" seats in both Business Class and  Economy..  For a while VIA even classed one of the windowless single seats in Business Class as a premium seat with a small surcharge unless the passenger paid the full (Business Plus) fare. 

They can call it a wall seat. Nothing will fix this at either the dysfunctional Amtrak and VIA Rail except a class action suit. We are dealing with lazy, recalcitrant children. 

You can't even adjust the seat back to align with a sliver of a windw. 

They spent $89 million per train set. They could have coordinated seat pitch with window width and pillar width, which has been done since the 1940's without CAD and computers. I don't care if the train were based on European trains. 



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 09/02/25 05:51 by joemvcnj.

This is what it looks like.

---

95% of the passengers never look out the window any more anyway.  They are transfixed by their phone and never stop their mindless, endless scrolling the whole trip.    

restricted_speed Wrote:
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> This is what it looks like.

This was the place that I believe was a table seat on the prototypes.

https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/05/23/13/59/Amtrak-Acela-first-class.jpeg

For whatever reason it was changed, possibly post-COVID aversion to facing seats or a need to increase the capaxcity of the car. 

cblaz Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Information quoted below taken from an August 25th
> post on the Amtrak Next Generation Equipment
> Updates Facebook page: 
>
> "PSA ALERT:
> Just a heads up to everyone out there excited to
> ride the new NextGen Acelas; there ARE rows where
> you are in-between windows. So if you're looking
> for a view, do NOT book the following rows:
>
> Car 1 (First Class): 1 and 3

I'd actually be generous and call the Row 1 seats "no distraction" seats as they are the farthest back and are 1+1 configuration. There will absolutely be riders who choose those to sleep or work with an absolute minimum of external or internal distraction. 

I don't see it being beyond the realm of possibility for 1st class to see some reconfiguration after all 28 sets are in service and seating demand is known. If 1st rarely sells out, the non-window seats might see the table come back or get used as luggage space.
 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/02/25 05:54 by mbrotzman.

Topfuel Wrote:
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> 95% of the passengers never look out the window
> any more anyway.  They are transfixed by their
> phone and never stop their mindless, endless
> scrolling the whole trip.   

Excellent point. They should just block off all the windows. 

Reading the daily reports on the problems these things are having getting down the road, the window issue is probably way down the list. But yeah, imagine paying $700+ for a 1st class ticket for a seat that doesn't recline in a window seat that doesn't have a window on a train that seldom maintains an already bloated schedule. Good luck, Amtrak!

Posted from Android

Topfuel Wrote:
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> 95% of the passengers never look out the window
> any more anyway.  They are transfixed by their
> phone and never stop their mindless, endless
> scrolling the whole trip.    

How is that different from a blank stare out the window?  

This is NOT Lindsey's happy face !

cabsignaldrop Wrote:
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> Reading the daily reports on the problems these
> things are having getting down the road, the
> window issue is probably way down the list. But
> yeah, imagine paying $700+ for a 1st class ticket
> for a seat that doesn't recline in a window seat
> that doesn't have a window on a train that seldom
> maintains an already bloated schedule. Good luck, Amtrak!

I think they paid $152 (each) for that ride from DC to Baltimore.

They rode back to DC on MARC for 9 bucks. Didn't even have to pay extra for a window seat.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/02/25 06:08 by restricted_speed.

restricted_speed Wrote:
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> I think they paid $152 (each) for that ride from
> DC to Baltimore.
>
> They rode back to DC on MARC for 9 bucks. Didn't
> even have to pay extra for a window seat.

At least its a tax writeoff and they'll get a bunch of tier qualifying points.

I saw other "first day of service" Youtubers go FC from Boston to Providence and New Haven to NYC. Good for them, its their job.

For those that might not remember, the family in the 1994 Amtrak on board service training film used Metroliner Club Class from Washington to Baltimore to finish their cross country sleeper trip so I guess there's some precedent.

https://youtu.be/3Cu7jJRWaeo?t=1534

mbrotzman Wrote:
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> restricted_speed Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > I think they paid $152 (each) for that ride
> from
> > DC to Baltimore.
> >
> > They rode back to DC on MARC for 9 bucks.
> Didn't
> > even have to pay extra for a window seat.
>
> At least its a tax writeoff and they'll get a
> bunch of tier qualifying points.

The passengers riding in that same seat on today's train aren't youtubers, and won't get extra points. And no tax write off.

Amtrak is simply not customer focused. This was the absolute best they could do, and it wasn't great. With all that time (years actually) to prepare for an inaugural run, the train was delayed by malfunctioning doors. The crew "forgot" to serve food to passengers before their station stop. There was no soap in the rest room, and before the end of the trip the rest room in the first class car was taken out of service. I wish things were better at Amtrak, but they just are not. It's a cultural thing. Had this been in Japan, everything would have been flawlessly executed.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/02/25 06:35 by restricted_speed.

restricted_speed Wrote:

> the rest room in the first class car was taken out of service.

Yes, "the" rest room (singular). Old Acela had 2 per car. Do they think everyone is under 40 and doesn't need to "go" more often than every 5 hours ? 

What's wrong with having a plastic, disposable soap bottle pumper on the sink ? 

How about some toad stools in the cafe car rather than everyone bring food back to their seat or else stand up there and eat like at a food truck ?