From New York to Niagara Falls in the business class of the Amtrak train: how much does such a trip cost and is it worth spending money on it

Journalist Joy Hadden traveled from New York to Niagara Falls in business class on a train Amtrak. The ticket cost her $168. In his column for the publication Insider the journalist shared her impressions of the trip. Further - from the first person.

I recently spent 10 hours on an Amtrak business class train from New York to Niagara Falls, New York. I paid $168 for my ticket. That's $100 more than the bus fare.

My decision was based on extensive experience traveling on Amtrak. In the past, I've spent 85 hours on Amtrak trains up and down the East Coast, and have traveled in different types of carriages.

My journey began at the Pennsylvania Station in New York

I arrived at the station at 6:45, the train departs at 7:15. Amtrak recommends arriving at the station a few minutes before the train departs.

Pennsylvania Station's Moynihan Railroad Hall features an exclusive lounge for Amtrak passengers with complimentary drinks and snacks. But it's free only for first class passengers, while business class passengers can enter there for an additional fee of $50.

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I was in this lounge when I traveled first class. And I decided that, despite the wide variety of food and drinks, it is not worth $50. Instead, I went to the main waiting room for all passengers.

The waiting area was lined with benches in front of screens with train schedules. Sunday morning it was crowded. But after standing for a few minutes, I found a place.

I didn't have any priority boarding on a business class ticket

Once on the train, I noticed that the configuration of the business class car consisted of two seats on one side of the aisle and one seat on the other. My seat was not listed on the ticket and I took a single seat.

The seats seem large and I thought they would be comfortable. However, once I sat down, they were stiffer than expected.

However, I was pleased with the spacious legroom. The seat reclined slightly, as on most trains. I also had a socket near the chair for charging my phone or laptop.

There was also a pull-out table, like other Amtrak trains. This allows me to pass the time for work and play, because I could put my laptop and phone in front of me.

The train started moving on time, but due to a couple of delays along the way, we arrived in Niagara Falls about an hour later than planned.

Drinks were included in my business class ticket, but food was not.

All passengers can purchase food, drinks and snacks in the cafe car. To get my free drink I had to go there. I didn't see the wait staff deliver any meals or snacks.

When I went into a separate toilet for business class passengers, I realized that it was no different from the usual one. And the trash can was full.

After a 10-hour journey in a train car without a clean toilet, I thought business class wasn't worth the extra $100 and that I should have taken the bus or bought a regular train ticket.

Apart from large seats and free drinks, business class was not much different from the usual. Next time I'll save my money.