If you’re traveling to the Northeast on business, it’s worth considering taking an Amtrak train for your next trip, especially if you’re traveling between Boston, New York, Philadelphia, or Washington DC. You can skip the hassle of airport security and fly, as well as save all the wasted time getting to and from airports and waiting for flights. For business travelers, one of the best features of an Amtrak trip (whether it’s the Northeast Regional or the faster Acela service) is the Quiet Car.
But it can be difficult to know where the silent car is on a specific train. That’s why we’ve compiled these tips for finding the Amtrak Quiet Car on your next train trip.
Location and details
Unfortunately, there is no seat reservation in the Quiet Car. You just have to find it and wait for a seat when you get on the train.
According to Amtrak, the silent car can be located anywhere on a particular train. Therefore, the best way to locate the Quiet Car is to ask a driver or ticket taker where the Quiet Car is located.
However, there are some basic guidelines on where to look for the silent car. On the Acela Express, it’s next to the first-class car. In recent trips, the Quiet Car on the Acela has been the second car from the back of the train. On Northeast Regional service, the Quiet Car is next to the Business Class, which has been in the front of the train on my recent trips.
The Amtrak website lists the location of its quiet cars on other trains as follows: on its Keystone trains, the quiet car is next to the engine; on Hiawatha trains, it is the furthest car; on certain Empire Corridor trains it is next to the engine. On any other train, check with the conductor.
The quiet car
On both Northeast Regional and Acela trains (as well as other “aisle” trains), Amtrak has a quiet car for commuters who want, you guessed it, easy going!
The Quiet Car is actually like any other car on the train you’re in, except that it offers a quiet and peaceful environment for commuters. That means you can’t talk on the cell phone! If you need to make or receive a call while in the silent car, you need to get out of the car and take the call between cars or in the cafeteria. Passengers can speak in the quiet car, but Amtrak requires that you speak quietly and only for limited periods. If you are planning to converse throughout the trip, you should take a regular (not silent) seat.
Amtrak also generally tries to keep the lights a little dimmer on the Quiet Car, though they aren’t dark by any stretch of the imagination, and you can always turn on the reading light if necessary.
The rules
As noted above, conversations are limited and the cell phone is not used. Passengers may not use any device that makes noise. That means there are no cell phones, music players, portable DVD players, or laptops with the speakers turned on. If you use headphones, make sure the volume is kept low so that other people cannot hear them.
