Wow, I had no idea the Acela was that expensive. Alternatively, I just checked and you can fly from Boston to Baltimore (today, with no advance purchase) for

Wow, I had no idea the Acela was that expensive. Alternatively, I just checked and you can fly from Boston to Baltimore (today, with no advance purchase) for $96, and it takes 1'24". (I admit this isn't quite your example, but it's a reasonable illustration of a similar route). Or you could drive New Haven to DC, which is 306 miles, and google maps suggests 5 hours 30 mins (admittedly optimistic in traffic). If you drive alone in a gas-hogging 25 mpg car like mine that'll cost you about $40. I'm starting to understand why nobody takes the Amtrak.