NextGen Acela Has Arrived - The Build

The next disruptor in luxury travel isn’t four-door or autonomous, it’s rail.

The campaign leverages the sleek, polished visual elements of luxury car launches, only to reframe it as the new trains in the final reveal. Produced by Stept Studios, the film elevates Amtrak as the superior mode of travel, spotlighting that the premium comfort and speed travelers crave is not actually found on the road, but on the rails.

Rooted in the mission to disrupt the “car-first” mentality of the Northeast, the work flaunts the NextGen Acela as the ultimate solution to the headaches of tolls, parking, potholes, and traffic.
At the center of the campaign is a :30 hero film, “The Build”, hones in on the sheer speed and sleekness of the new train by leaning into a high-gloss, high-contrast environment.

Directed by Warren Shaw, the film opens on a figure in all black traversing a vast salt flat, set to a tech-heavy hip-hop score, mirroring performance car ads. As the beat builds, the environment comes alive with ethereal, sparkling particles that begin to materialize into the sleek components of the train, literally constructing the NextGen Acela around the character in real-time.

As the track drops, the film utilizes the high-gloss language of a luxury vehicle reveal, with a narrator highlighting "electrifying speed" and the "smoothest ride on the road." The subversion is completed in the final frames as the camera zooms out to reveal the full train on its tracks, pivoting from the traditional automotive "road" narrative to the unparalleled efficiency of the rails.

Built from real technical specs and brought to life through VFX, the film keeps the integrity of the train’s design while spotlighting its engineering innovation. Amtrak partnered with VFX company Artjail to ensure that the engineering and technology behind the real trains came to life in the film, all without the use of AI.
The partnership marks Mekanism’s third year as Amtrak’s creative AOR, representing their second major brand push since the “Retrain Travel” launch in October 2024.

Since the platform’s inception, Amtrak has seen record-breaking ridership and revenue throughout 2025 and is on track to break those records in 2026. The campaign serves as the latest evolution of the “Retrain Travel” brand platform, positioning Amtrak as an innovative leader and premium travel choice.

The first spot aired on May 2 during the Kentucky Derby, with the full campaign live May 4 across linear TV (NBA playoffs and other live sporting events), programmatic CTV/OLV (Netflix, HBO, Hulu), programmatic audio, Meta, Reddit, digital display, and various in-station displays across the Northeast.
Since its launch in August 2025, Amtrak guests have taken over 800,000 trips on NextGen Acela between major city centers 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 travelers expect to stay productive and relax.

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’ utilized a Motorized Precision EVO, a specialized robotic camera rig, to smoothly and precisely capture onboard footage.