Amtrak runs two services between DC and NYC, the Northeast Regional and the Acela. Take the Regional if you want the lower price, and the Acela if 30 minutes is worth more to you. A typical Regional takes about 3.5 hours and a typical Acela about 3. Amtrak's route pages show no fares, so we give the official sample and say what we could not confirm. We read Amtrak's route pages, timetables and service notices on 11 October 2026.
How long each option takes
We downloaded Amtrak's route timetables for the Acela and the Northeast Regional. Amtrak made both files on 11 October 2026. We compared the New York and Washington times in each row.
| Option | Weekday time, New York to Washington | Price on official pages | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northeast Regional | 3 h 7 to 4 h 20, most 3 h 25 to 3 h 55 | No fare on the route page. Night Owl sample $20 | Amtrak timetable, 11 Oct 2026 |
| Acela | 2 h 56 to 3 h 30 | No fare on the route page | Amtrak timetable, 11 Oct 2026 |
| Bus (FlixBus) | 3 h 30 at the quickest | From $30.48 | FlixBus route page, undated |
The Regional range counts 101 weekday entries in the file, and the middle 80% fall at 3 h 24 to 3 h 57. The Acela range includes trains that run on to Boston, which take longer between New York and Washington.
Getting there: Northeast Regional stops between New York and Washington: Newark, Metropark, New Brunswick, Princeton Junction, Trenton, Philadelphia 30th St, Wilmington, Baltimore Penn, BWI Airport, New Carrollton (Amtrak route page, read 11 Oct 2026, not every train stops at each)
Getting there: Acela stops: New York, Newark, Metropark, Philadelphia 30th St, Wilmington, Baltimore Penn, BWI Airport, Washington (Amtrak Acela page, same date)
Note: Classes: the Regional has Coach and Business. The Acela has Business and First. Coach has at least 39 inches of legroom, outlets and Wi-Fi (Amtrak, same date)
| Detail | One source says | Another says | What we use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regional time | Our US cities guide: about 3 h 20 | Amtrak timetable: 3 h 7 to 4 h 20, most 3 h 25 to 3 h 55 | Amtrak |
| Acela time | Our US cities guide: about 2 h 50 | Amtrak timetable: 2 h 56 to 3 h 30 | Amtrak |
What it costs
Amtrak's route pages for the Regional and the Acela show no "from" price. The booking site shows fares only for a date you pick, and we did not run a search.
Price: Night Owl: a sample one-way Coach fare of $20 from New York to Washington. Valid on select trains between Boston and Washington that leave between 18:00 and 08:00. Coach only. Limited seats. Not valid with Guest Rewards points (Amtrak Night Owl page, read 11 Oct 2026)
Price: Bus: FlixBus lists fares from $30.48 and a minimum trip of 3 h 30, with 72 daily trips from many New York stops to Washington (FlixBus route page, read 11 Oct 2026, no date shown)
Note: We found no official Acela or Regional fare. Check Amtrak.com for the date you want to travel
Bridge work until 15 November 2026
Hours: Portal North Bridge work affects Northeast Corridor trains from 9 October to 15 November 2026. Amtrak's 17 September 2026 briefing says Acela goes from 20 weekday trains to 18, and Northeast Regional from 44 to 40, from 10 October to 15 November (Amtrak alerts page and briefing)
Note: Separate work south of Washington runs from after service on Friday 16 October to Monday 26 October 2026. Amtrak says the Northeast Regional still runs between Washington, New York and Boston. Service from Virginia and farther south is reduced (Amtrak Media, 24 Aug 2026)
Check your train on the day. Amtrak's alert names no train numbers.
Stations and the bus
Address: Trains: New York Moynihan Train Hall (NYP) and Washington Union Station (WAS). Moynihan Train Hall is closed from 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. daily (Amtrak Night Owl page)
Getting there: Buses: FlixBus lists New York stops including Port Authority, Hudson Yards and Midtown, and Washington stops at Union Station, Dupont Circle, Bethesda and Rosslyn (FlixBus route page)
If you hold a USA Rail Pass, note that Amtrak's pass page excludes the Acela. Our rail pass guide has the rest of the rules.
What is checked here and what is not
Checked on 11 October 2026: Amtrak's Northeast Regional and Acela route pages, the two route timetables Amtrak made that day, the Night Owl page, the service alerts page, the Amtrak media release of 17 September 2026 and its briefing, the Amtrak media release of 24 August 2026, the USA Rail Pass page, and FlixBus's New York to Washington page.
Not checked: any live fare for either train, the Acela's advance-purchase rule, which stops each train makes, how the bridge work changes your particular train, bus prices other than FlixBus, and the time a bus really takes in traffic. We did not run an Amtrak fare search, and we did not ride these trains for this page.
