A couple of points.
Acela Express trains DO have footrests.
Acela Express and rebuilt regional cafe cars are built on purpose that way. Research showed that those actually EATING couldn't get seats because people would hog the seats in the cafe. The new bistro style cafe cars provide stools which are comfortable just long enough to finish your food (and then get you to move on... trust me McDonalds does the same type of research.. their chairs are not comfortable after 20 minutes to encourage you to move on). Instead the tables are now spread throughout the train.
In addition to the noise level, Acela Express benefits from a much smoother ride both on bumpy track and through curves (the latter thanks to the tilt feature).
The bottom line is that to most travelers Acela Express provides a superior travel experience.
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by Globehopper:
This depends upon what you value in comfort.
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[This message has been edited by dguruswamy (edited 07-09-2002).]