BlaakLane.com books a Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station chauffeur at a fixed fare you see before confirming. Enter your high-speed train number from Beijing, Hangzhou, Nanjing or Suzhou and your destination. The chauffeur is timed to the real arrival and meets you at the station's designated pick-up area, then drives to Pudong or Hongqiao airport, the National Exhibition and Convention Center, the Bund, Lujiazui or on to Suzhou and Hangzhou.
Booking a car at Hongqiao station
Select Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station in the reservation engine, add the train and coach number, your destination and a vehicle class. The fixed fare appears before you confirm and does not change if the Yan'an Elevated Road is at a standstill. Add passenger names and a mobile number that works in mainland China; child seats are free on request.
The BlaakLane.com desk in Toronto is staffed 24/7. In Shanghai a vetted local affiliate from the LimousineWorldwide.Directory network, licensed locally and bound by our written standard, drives the trip. At Hongqiao station, your confirmation names the operator, the chauffeur and the car.
The Hongqiao transport hub
Hongqiao Railway Station opened in 2010 as part of the Hongqiao Integrated Transport Hub, which also contains Hongqiao Airport Terminal 2, a metro station, a long-distance bus station and several car parks, all linked under one roof. It is one of the largest railway stations in Asia.
- Beijing-Shanghai high-speed line to Beijing South, Nanjing, Jinan and Tianjin.
- Shanghai-Hangzhou and onward lines to Hangzhou East, Ningbo, Changsha, Kunming, Guangzhou and Shenzhen.
- Shanghai-Nanjing intercity trains via Suzhou and Wuxi.
- Long-haul trains to Hong Kong West Kowloon, including sleepers.
- Shanghai Metro Lines 2, 10 and 17 at Hongqiao Railway Station.
Some trains use Shanghai Station or Shanghai South in the city instead, so check the station printed on your ticket.
Arrival exits and where cars pick up
Arriving passengers leave the platforms downwards to the lower concourse, which runs beneath the tracks with exits at the north and south ends. From there, signs lead to the metro, the taxi ranks, the car parks and the designated area where pre-booked cars pick up. Hongqiao is very large and it is easy to come out at the wrong end, so tell us your coach number and we send the exact meeting point by message before arrival. The chauffeur will also call when you reach the arrival level.
How the chauffeur meets you
For Hongqiao station pickups, curbside at the designated pick-up area is the standard service. For Hongqiao station pickups, chauffeurs do not pass the ticket gates or come to the platforms by default. A meet in the arrival concourse is an add-on, and add-ons are only available in selected locations; the booking engine shows if it can be added. See meet and greet.
At Hongqiao station, train tracking times the chauffeur to the actual arrival. If typhoon weather in late summer slows trains along the coast, the pickup follows the train. At Hongqiao station, included waiting is 15 minutes from the real arrival, then 15-minute blocks.
Luggage
The route from the platforms to the arrival level uses long escalators and lifts, and trolleys are available in parts of the hub. A Luxury Executive Sedan takes two passengers and two cases; teams with sample cases or families with suitcases should choose a Standard Black SUV or Executive Black SUV (six passengers, six bags). At Hongqiao station, a Sprinter Van takes 12 passengers with 12 small bags.
Drive times from Hongqiao station
| Destination | Distance | Typical drive |
|---|---|---|
| Hongqiao Airport Terminal 2 (SHA) | inside the hub | 5-10 minutes (or a 10-15 minute walk) |
| Hongqiao Airport Terminal 1 | about 6 km | 15-20 minutes |
| Pudong International Airport (PVG) | about 55 km | 50-70 minutes |
| National Exhibition and Convention Center (NECC) | about 2 km | 10 minutes |
| Jing'an and West Nanjing Road | about 15 km | 25-40 minutes |
| The Bund | about 18 km | 30-45 minutes |
| Lujiazui | about 22 km | 35-50 minutes |
Flight information is on our Shanghai Hongqiao Airport and Shanghai Pudong pages. Cruise passengers heading to Wusongkou should read the Wusongkou cruise terminal page; it is about an hour north.
Hotels, fairs and business districts
The National Exhibition and Convention Center, next to the hub, hosts the China International Import Expo every November and many other large fairs, and the hotels around it fill on those dates. In the city, the Bund's heritage hotels such as the Peninsula and the Waldorf Astoria, the towers of Lujiazui including the Park Hyatt in the Shanghai World Financial Center, and the Jing'an business district are 25 to 50 minutes away. Shanghai restricts vehicles registered outside the city from its elevated roads at peak hours; locally licensed affiliate cars are not affected, and the fixed fare already reflects the route. Driving is on the right.
Intercity alternatives by car
Several Yangtze Delta destinations are easier by car, especially with luggage or a group. Zhujiajiao water town is about 40 minutes; Suzhou about 1 h 15 to 1 h 30 (roughly 85 km); Zhouzhuang about an hour; Wuzhen about 1 h 30 to 2 hours; Hangzhou about 2 to 2 h 30 (roughly 170 km); Moganshan about 2 h 30. See intercity transfers for fixed fares, or book an hourly chauffeur for a day of supplier visits.
Picking a vehicle class
| Trip | Class |
|---|---|
| Solo traveller to Hongqiao T2 or T1 | Standard Sedan |
| Executive to a Lujiazui meeting | Luxury Executive Sedan |
| Visiting chairman at the NECC | Executive First Class Sedan (Maybach) |
| Buyers with sample cases to the NECC | Standard Black SUV |
| Six directors to a factory in Suzhou | Executive Black SUV |
| Trade-fair team of 12 | Sprinter Van |
| Seven guests, carry-on only, water-town day | Sprinter Luxury Jet Van |
| Bund evening out for 8 or 14 | Luxury Stretch Limo or Party Bus |
See fleet and rates. Hourly bookings need 3 hours minimum.
Accounts and trade-fair programmes
Companies with regular Beijing-Shanghai travel, and exhibitors at the NECC, use corporate accounts. Multi-vehicle fair programmes are planned by a coordinator and confirmed in writing; see event transportation. For Hongqiao station pickups, all services and industries are on their hub pages.
Cancellation
A Hongqiao station booking can be cancelled free of charge while pickup is more than 72 hours away. With a Hongqiao station arrival, after that it costs 10 % of the fare, rising to 50 % at 48 hours and to the whole fare at 24 hours or on a no-show.
City information is on our Shanghai chauffeur service page. Official sources: China Railway 12306, Shanghai Airport Authority and the Shanghai municipal government.
