Originally Posted by
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The timing of the track announcement in the lounge (and if there even is an announcement at all) is very much dependent on the attendant at the front desk — when I was there last month they announced all the tracks at least 2-3 min before the tracks appeared on the displays in the main hall / were announced to everyone else (which is how it should be), so I had plenty of time to head down and beat all the crowds. But there have been reports where the attendant doesn't even bother to announce tracks in the lounge as well, so YMMV each time.
But, with seat reservations on Acela, there is no longer a need to "rush" to be at the head of the line to board the train at NYP, right?! Indeed, given that overhead space in Acela is never (at least not that I've seen) an issue, there's no problem with boarding near the end, avoiding the clusterf* that is Amtrak boarding, and taking your reserved seat just before the doors close.