BlaakLane.com books Los Angeles Union Station car service at a fixed fare you see before confirming. Enter your Amtrak or Metrolink train; the chauffeur tracks it, meets you curbside on the Alameda Street side or at the Patsaouras Plaza side as confirmed by text, and drives you to Downtown, the Westside, LAX, Burbank or Long Beach.
Booking a car at LA Union Station
Choose Los Angeles Union Station in the reservation engine, add your train and date, the destination and one of the nine vehicle classes. The fare shown is fixed. In a region where a 20-mile trip can take 30 minutes or 90, not having a meter matters. Add your mobile number so the chauffeur can text the pickup point.
Los Angeles trips are dispatched by the 24/7 desk in Toronto to a vetted local affiliate from the LimousineWorldwide.Directory network, contracted to the BlaakLane.com written standard. Operators in California carry state charter-party authority from the California Public Utilities Commission, and your confirmation names the operator, chauffeur and car.
Trains at Union Station
- Amtrak: Pacific Surfliner trains to San Diego, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo; the Coast Starlight to Seattle; the Southwest Chief to Chicago; and the Sunset Limited and Texas Eagle to the east. See Amtrak.
- Metrolink: regional trains on the Antelope Valley, Ventura County, San Bernardino, Riverside, Orange County and 91/Perris Valley lines, published by Metrolink.
- LA Metro: the B and D subway lines and the A Line light rail, plus regional buses from Patsaouras Transit Plaza on the east side.
Entrances and designated pickup areas
The 1939 Mission Revival building fronts Alameda Street opposite Olvera Street and El Pueblo. Its main entrance leads into the ticket concourse and the garden patios. A long passenger tunnel runs east under the tracks to the Patsaouras Transit Plaza and the Gateway building on Vignes Street, where buses, the FlyAway and many drop-offs are handled.
Cars can use the station's front driveway and forecourt off Alameda Street and the drop-off lanes on the east side near Patsaouras Plaza and Vignes Street, subject to signs and station staff. Which side is better depends on your platform: the tunnel means every platform can reach both. The chauffeur confirms the side by text. If you are carrying heavy luggage, the Alameda side avoids the long tunnel walk from the lower-numbered tracks.
Meeting the chauffeur
Curbside pickup at the forecourt or the east-side drop-off area is standard. The chauffeur does not come to the platform or into the waiting room unless you add meet and greet. Add-ons are only available in selected locations, and the booking engine confirms availability at Union Station for your time.
Train tracking and included waiting
The chauffeur is timed to the actual arrival of your train. Surfliners share single-track sections with freight trains and can lose time, and long-distance trains can run hours behind; tracking absorbs both. Fifteen minutes of waiting is included after arrival, then waiting is charged in 15-minute blocks.
Luggage
Amtrak long-distance trains offer checked baggage on some routes, collected from the baggage area inside the station. Coast Starlight and Southwest Chief passengers often have full-size cases. A sedan carries two passengers and two bags; an SUV six and six. Surfboards and bikes need a note in the booking so we assign a vehicle that can take them.
Union Station to the LA airports
| Airport | Distance | Typical drive |
|---|---|---|
| LAX | about 18 miles | 30-70 minutes |
| Hollywood Burbank (BUR) | about 12 miles | 20-45 minutes |
| Long Beach (LGB) | about 24 miles | 35-65 minutes |
| John Wayne, Orange County (SNA) | about 40 miles | 50-90 minutes |
| Van Nuys (VNY), private aviation | about 20 miles | 30-60 minutes |
See the LAX, Burbank, Long Beach and John Wayne pages for terminal pickup rules, and Van Nuys FBO for private flights.
Downtown, hotels and business districts
Union Station sits at the north-east edge of Downtown. Bunker Hill and the Financial District are 5-15 minutes away; the Arts District 5-10 minutes; Crypto.com Arena and LA Live 10-20 minutes; Hollywood 20-40 minutes; Beverly Hills and Century City 30-60 minutes; Santa Monica 40-75 minutes. Pasadena is 15-30 minutes up the 110. Discover Los Angeles has the visitor guide.
Intercity drives from Union Station
| Route | Distance | Typical drive |
|---|---|---|
| Anaheim and Disneyland Resort | about 28 miles | 35-70 minutes |
| Santa Barbara | about 95 miles | 1 h 45 - 2 h 45 |
| Palm Springs | about 105 miles | 2 - 3 h |
| San Diego | about 120 miles | 2 - 3 h 30 |
| Las Vegas | about 270 miles | 4 h - 5 h 30 |
Book these as intercity transfers or read our Santa Barbara, Palm Springs and San Diego pages.
Which vehicle class fits which trip
- Standard Sedan and Luxury Executive Sedan: one or two people heading to a Downtown office or Burbank.
- Executive First Class Sedan (Maybach): a talent or executive arrival.
- Standard Black SUV and Executive Black SUV: six with six bags, the usual choice for LAX runs with family luggage.
- Sprinter Van: 12 passengers for a production crew or a wedding party.
- Sprinter Luxury Jet Van: seven passengers with carry-ons for a working drive to Santa Barbara or Palm Springs.
- Luxury Stretch Limo and Party Bus: eight and 14 passengers for events.
Entertainment and touring clients can read entertainment and touring. All nine classes are on the fleet page; fare details are on rates.
Accounts, hourly bookings and cancellation
Studios and firms can use corporate accounts for monthly invoicing. For a day of appointments across the basin, book hourly chauffeur service with a three-hour minimum. Cancel more than 72 hours before pickup at no charge; inside 72 hours 10 %, inside 48 hours 50 %, inside 24 hours or no-show 100 %. More on the city is on chauffeur service in Los Angeles.
Departing from Union Station
Drop-offs work the same way in reverse. Tell us your train and departure time and we plan the pickup at your hotel or office so you reach the station with a comfortable margin: about 30 minutes before a Pacific Surfliner, and more for long-distance trains with checked baggage, which Amtrak closes earlier. The chauffeur sets you down on the Alameda Street forecourt for the main concourse or at the east side if you are joining a Metrolink train from the far platforms. If you are connecting from a flight at LAX to a train, give us both the flight and the train numbers; flight tracking sets the airport pickup, with 60 minutes of free waiting on international arrivals and 30 minutes on domestic flights.
