NextGen Acela takes centre stage in Amtrak’s new commercial
The new ad The Build embraces a new era of American rail with a confident, premium edge.
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Amtrak’s newest commercial, The Build, has just dropped with 30-second and 15-second spots featuring the electrifying speed, premium amenities, and smooth ride of its NextGen Acela trains.
The commercial exudes a polished, sleek aesthetic, and a direct, confident tone amplifying Amtrak’s commitment to a new era of rail travel.
“All of the distinct elements and benefits of our NextGen Acela fleet are reflected in The Build to highlight what makes train travel so great,” said Amtrak Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer Eliot Hamlisch. “The Build inspires customers traveling between Washington, DC and Boston by highlighting how they can comfortably speed past the cars stuck in traffic on I-95 and embrace some time for themselves.”
To powerfully introduce and illustrate the features of this new fleet and highlight Amtrak in a dynamic, new way, the commercial reimagined some of the conventions typically associated with auto advertising. This includes the use of a modern, percussive score providing high-energy swagger and tech-forward visual effects to animate the story.
Every aspect of the commercial was selected to reflect a blend of Amtrak’s New Era of Rail, NextGen Acela’s innovations, and Amtrak’s bold, national advertising campaign, ‘Retrain Travel,’ which encourages consumers to reconsider their approach to travel and avoid many of the traditional hurdles of flying and driving by choosing the benefits of passenger rail.
Credits
View on- Agency Mekanism/New York
- Production Company Stept Studios
- Director Warner Shaw
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Credits
View on- Agency Mekanism/New York
- Production Company Stept Studios
- Director Warner Shaw
- VFX Artjail NY
- Founder/CEO Jason Harris
- Executive Creative Director Vidhi Shah
- Creative Director Bryan Davis
- Associate Creative Director Mona Song
- Associate Creative Director Tim Noble
- Senior Production Designer Davoud Kermaninejad
- Senior Producer Lizzy Auwaerter
Explore full credits, grab hi-res stills and more on shots Vault
Credits
powered by- Agency Mekanism/New York
- Production Company Stept Studios
- Director Warner Shaw
- VFX Artjail NY
- Founder/CEO Jason Harris
- Executive Creative Director Vidhi Shah
- Creative Director Bryan Davis
- Associate Creative Director Mona Song
- Associate Creative Director Tim Noble
- Senior Production Designer Davoud Kermaninejad
- Senior Producer Lizzy Auwaerter
This extension of the original campaign reflects a broader brand ambition to modernise perception and reposition Amtrak as a leader in both premium and everyday travel. This includes showing up in unexpected places and enhancing cultural relevancy with its Retrain Travel messaging, including the debut of Trak Suits, the Train-tacular social post, and more.
Amtrak and Mekanism, Amtrak’s creative agency of record, engaged award winning director Warner Shaw to bring both the vision and the technical precision of the spot to life with a cinematic eye.
Creative and production partners, Stept and boutique VFX studio ArtJail, focused on the technical features of the new trains, while ensuring the spot stays true to the train’s design, and spotlighting its engineering innovation.
Additionally, The Build utilised a Motorised Precision EVO, a specialised robotic camera rig, to smoothly and precisely capture onboard footage.
The Build will be featured in marquis media placements throughout the summer of 2026, including the Kentucky Derby, NBA Playoffs, and other live sporting events in key Northeast Corridor markets via linear television, CTV, YouTube, and major subscription streaming platforms.
To maximise reach, the campaign will be supported on social media platforms, including a travel category takeover and influencer partnerships, and will also run across key digital channels, including streaming audio services, podcast placements, and programmatic display inventory.
To achieve deeper audience relevance, scene-level targeting will be layered into CTV buys to allow The Build to be served after viewers watch content involving relevant contextual signals like trains, train stations, busy airports, business travellers, luxury travellers, and more.
Since its launch in August 2025, Amtrak guests have taken over 800,000 trips on NextGen Acela between major city centres from Washington, DC, to New York to Boston and destinations in between. The new NextGen Acela offers an elevated experience, with features and amenities that today’s savvy travellers expect to stay productive and enjoy their journey.
“All of the premium elements and benefits of our NextGen Acela fleet are reflected in The Build to highlight what makes train travel so great,” said Amtrak Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer Eliot Hamlisch. “We want this spot to remind customers that there’s a better way to travel between Washington, DC and Boston when ‘The Build’ invites and inspires customers that they can safely and comfortably speed past the cars stuck in traffic on I-95 and embrace some time for themselves.”
“In our third year as Amtrak’s creative partner, we wanted to do something more than just show a new train,” said Jason Harris, CEO of Mekanism. “We wanted to reframe the visual elements of the ultimate competitor: the car. The NextGen Acela is more than a transit update, and this campaign mirrors that sleek, disruptive energy.”
