Amtrak has drastically upped its lounge game with its beautiful Metropolitan Lounge at the Moynihan Train Hall adjacent to New York Penn Station.
Amtrak Metropolitan Lounge New York Review
The National Passenger Railroad Corporation (Amtrak for short) is a state-run monopoly on commercial train service in the USA. For years, Amtrak has lost money overall, but remains profitable in the busy Northeast Corridor, particularly between Boston and Washington, DC.
As Amtrak seeks to compete with air travel between Boston, New York, and Washington it is investing in its station lounges. New York marks a radical transformation from a frankly dull dungeon to a beautiful new lounge.
Access + Hours + Location
The Amtrak Metropolitan Lounge is located on the mezzanine level of Moynihan Train Hall. Follow the signs to the lounge then proceed upstairs.
You can also enter via the other side (take the elevator or escalator up).
Hours of operation are from 5:00 am – 9:30 pm Monday – Friday and 7:00 am – 9:00 pm on Saturday and Sunday. The bar opens daily from 11:00 am – 7:00 pm (no idea why it closes early).
Access is included for:
- Amtrak Guest Rewards members traveling with a same-day Amtrak ticket and valid Select Plus or Select Executive member card.
- Amtrak passengers with a same-day travel ticket (departure or arrival) in First Class or sleeping car accommodations.
Day passes may be purchased by Acela business class passengers for $50 or by all passengers for 1,500 Amtrak Guest Rewards points.
Seating
As you enter the lounge and turn left, you come to a large seating area with clusters of seats together, including booths in a dining area, tables, easy chairs, and couches. The decor is like a chic hotel (hopefully it will age well) and natural light streamed in from a bank of windows along one side of the lounge.
There’s also a beautiful terrace as well overlooking the busy Moynihan Train Hall concourse below.
Kudos to the designers for provisioning USB ports and power outlets all over the lounge.
Food + Drink
While not a full-service restaurant, the food and drink options compete well with any airline lounge. I was there at 9:30 am and options included:
- bagels
- yogurt
- muffins
- pastries
- oatmeal
- breakfast sandwiches (warm)
- wraps
- hardboiled eggs
- salads
- chips
- popcorn
- sliced fruit
- whole fruit
- avocado toast
- packaged snacks (like Kind Bars and chocolate)
Self-service coffee was available or you could request an espresso drink from behind the counter (made by an automatic machine). Amtrak uses La Colombe coffee. Cold brew coffee is also available.
The coffee was not horrible…
At the bar, beer, wine, and cocktails are available for purchase (see menu below).
Restrooms
Restrooms are located near the lounge entrance. There are no shower facilities.
Business Center
You never know when you might need a printer, so I appreciated that this new lounge has a business center with a computer and printing facility.
Luggage Storage
If you are staying awhile, you can leave your larger bag in a locker near the lounge entrance.
Service
The staff was great here – enthusiastic, friendly, and helpful. One member was disappointed (in a friendly way) that I did not take more food and the bartender encouraged me to try one of the specialty cocktails (“it’s 5:00 pm somewhere…” – I politely declined).
CONCLUSION
Amtrak’s lounge concept is a winner here. It’s a great value-add to the first class or sleeper car product and a great place to wait for your train. It is nice to see Amtrak trying to offer a competitive product.
This looks like a terrific lounge offering, and I appreciate the varied types of seating for different preferences and different sized parties. I gather all of the snacks are complimentary once you’re in there, and they only charge for the booze? Looks like a nice oasis for travelers, and the rest of the upgraded complex doesn’t look too bad, either.
Correct – all snacks are complimentary.
Hah, I remember visiting this lounge and taking Acela First Class from NYP to PVD in June 2021 and remarking how much better Amtrak was at bringing back lounges, food service and other amenities than every airline was at the time…
Love the Amtrak lounge. They also used escort you and all your luggage in an early boarding. That alone was very helpful. And Amtrak employees really try to please & I always tip them as they work so hard.
Looks nicer than some airline lounges.
A better rail network would be a godsend for millions of Americans. I truly wonder how much airlines must be lobbying against further rail expansion, as it would surely cut into their profit margins significantly.
The airlines don’t care about the passenger trains since almost any proposed train service will be limited to 79 MPH due to track issues. The disagreement is mostly from the freight railroads who absolutely don’t want any serious enforcement of the existing Amtrak passenger train priority regulations and don’t want any passenger trains operating on their tracks.
That’s a massive improvement over the dank cave of a lounge they used to have in Penn Station.
I have a suggestion for a post: the inconsistent announcements made on airplanes. I sometimes take up to 3 flights on the same airline and the announcements are not the same, on some they make some unnecessary ones, or repeat the same ones over and over; on wide body international I hear less and when I notice we are almost ready for take off. Would be nice to know the policy airlines have regarding this matter, I personally wish there was only ONE announcement welcoming onboard and letting us know the exact flight time, period!
Looks really nice. I love train stations in general lolll. We took a lot of trains in Europe and it was far more satisfying than going to airports way out of town and dealing with security and lost bags etc
One of these days I’ll find myself in these Amtrak trains and lounges in the northeast, but alas, I’m still on my international travel revenge tour.
No Showers? That is the best feature of Chicago!!!
I suspect the lack of showed is due partially to the roaming violent criminals that populate the nearby areas. Don’t need something that would be attractive to the roaming violent criminals until some serious law following and order is reestablished in New York City .
Are these roaming criminals traveling in Acela First class?? ROFL
The Terrace will be a nice place to hang.
I appreciated this review (and the website generally). I finally made it to this lounge and found it very much as described. Amtrak definitely putting their funky twist on this beautiful lounge, ranging from a gruff greeting of “What’s ‘dis?!” (to my day pass), to intermittent wifi, to the molten-hot sandwiches. Cold brew is a definite plus. The balcony is a fun way to pass some time before a train. Thanks again!