Train Station Transfers: Private Car Service to and from Major Rail Stations

What is a train station transfer?

Stations are different from airports. Trains do not wait for late connections, platforms are announced late, and big stations have more than one entrance, each on a different street. A good station transfer deals with all of that before you arrive.

This hub lists the stations that have their own page. Each page names the entrances, the drop-off points, the surrounding hotel districts and the times of day when the roads around the station slow down.

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Stations with their own page

A rail station is also the middle of many journeys that begin at an airport. If you arrive by plane and leave by train, the airport transfers hub and the transfers hub link the two halves.

How the options compare at a station

For most trips the train itself is the main leg, and the last mile is the part you control. These are the usual ways to get between a station and your hotel.

If your hotel is across the street and your bag is a backpack, walk. A car earns its place when the platform exit is far from the taxi rank, when the last metro is gone, when it is raining, or when four people are carrying seven bags.

Toronto Union Station

Union Station, at 65 Front Street West, has been open since August 1927 and was designated a national historic site in 1975 (torontounion.ca). It is open every day from 5:30 am to 12:45 am, and the VIA Rail page puts the station between Bay and York streets across from the Royal York Hotel (viarail.ca).

The UP Express links the station to Pearson in 28 minutes (upexpress.com). That is quick, but it still leaves you with a walk, and a hotel away from Front Street needs another leg. See the Toronto Union Station page and the routes from the station, such as Union Station to Niagara Falls and Pearson to Union Station.

London, Paris, Milan and Tokyo

London. King's Cross and St Pancras sit side by side. Eurostar trains leave from St Pancras International, and the operator says there is no need to check in, just scan your ticket at the ticket gate (eurostar.com). Plan to arrive at the recommended time, not just before the gates close. The London page covers both stations, and the Heathrow to Central London route links the airport.

Paris. Gare de Lyon serves high-speed trains to the south and east of France and onward to Switzerland, plus the RER and Métro. The Eurostar to London leaves from Gare du Nord, a different station. The Paris Gare de Lyon page explains the entrances. For airport links see Paris CDG.

Milan. Milano Centrale is the city's main station for the high-speed network. For the airport leg, see the Milan Malpensa page. The Milano Centrale page covers entrances and hotel areas.

Tokyo. Tokyo Station has a red-brick facade dating to 1914, a Marunouchi side that leads toward the Imperial Palace East Gardens and a Yaesu side that leads toward Nihonbashi, according to the Japan National Tourism Organization. The Narita Express takes around an hour from the airport to the station. For the ride to a hotel, see the Tokyo Station page, Narita to Tokyo and Haneda to Tokyo.

Train tracking and waiting time

Trains run late, and the driver follows yours. Train and ship arrivals are tracked just as flights are. For pickups that are not at an airport, the free waiting time is 15 minutes. If your train is delayed, tell the desk or let the tracking do the work, and the pickup moves with it.

Name-board meet and greet is available on request, and an alias name can appear on the board for privacy. The meet and greet hub explains where drivers stand. At a large station, we agree the meeting point before you travel, such as the end of the platform, the main concourse or a named exit.

Luggage, vehicles and children

Pick the vehicle for your bags, not the destination. An Executive Sedan or First Class Sedan carries up to three passengers. A Luxury SUV carries up to six passengers and five or six large bags. An Executive Sprinter carries up to twelve passengers with twelve bags. Vehicle models are "or similar", confirmed at booking. See the fleet page.

Child seats are on request: say at booking whether you need an infant, toddler or booster seat. Water and phone charging are available in most vehicles. For groups of 20 or more, mini-coaches and coaches are arranged on request.

Outside Toronto

In Toronto, the GTA and southern Ontario the Onroutz.ca fleet drives. In London, Paris, Milan and Tokyo a vetted, licensed and commercially insured local partner drives, and the Toronto desk books, confirms, supports and invoices the trip. See the Europe hub and the Asia-Pacific hub for the wider picture.

Rules for entering the country also apply before you reach the platform. Check the destinations hub for the main ones, and read the guide to how private airport transfers work for the booking sequence.

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