Two weeks ago I had to get from Newark to Grand Central at last minute. I was tired and had been in meetings all day. I reserved on a Keystone coming through in ten minutes. And waited. And waited... tick... tick... check the app, the darn train is 45 minutes late. I wish they would tell you that when it's known to be late at the time the ticket is bought.
I caught the next NJT for half price and got to my hotel in 20 minutes via NJT, 4 train, and shuttle.
Moral of the story: Amtrak has 200+ miles for something to go wrong, NJT originates at Trenton. That is a factor that is often overlooked, and the same reason I take the South Shore rather than Detroit trains from SW Michigan to Chicago. The card time is longer but the reality is often shorter.
Edit: this is the day one of the keystones had a flatspot so bad it sound like the car ran on giant metal feet rather than wheels, and the BO coach had to be cut out and slowly dragged away. Maybe that had something to do with it.
The new Acela: It's not Aveliable.