BlaakLane.com books Washington Union Station car service at a fixed fare you see before confirming. Add your Amtrak, MARC or VRE train; the chauffeur tracks it, meets you curbside at the front of the station or a pickup point confirmed by text, and drives you to Capitol Hill, downtown offices, hotels or Reagan National, Dulles and BWI.
Booking a car at Washington Union Station
Pick Washington Union Station as the pickup in the reservation engine, enter the train number and date, the destination and a vehicle class. The fare shown is fixed, and a jam on New York Avenue does not add a cent. Add a mobile number that works on the train so the chauffeur can reach you.
Washington trips are assigned by the 24/7 reservations and dispatch desk in Toronto to a vetted local affiliate from the LimousineWorldwide.Directory network, contracted to the BlaakLane.com written standard. Your confirmation names the operator, the chauffeur and the vehicle.
Trains and operators at Union Station
Union Station is the southern anchor of the Northeast Corridor and one of the busiest stations on the Amtrak network.
- Amtrak: Acela and Northeast Regional trains to Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York and Boston; Virginia services to Richmond, Norfolk and Roanoke; and long-distance trains to Chicago, New Orleans and Florida. Timetables are on Amtrak.
- MARC: Maryland commuter trains on the Penn Line (via BWI Airport station to Baltimore), the Camden Line and the Brunswick Line.
- VRE: Virginia Railway Express on the Manassas and Fredericksburg lines, mostly at weekday peaks.
- Metrorail: the Red Line stops beneath the station, run by WMATA.
Entrances, the front plaza and pickup points
The Beaux-Arts headhouse faces Columbus Circle and Massachusetts Avenue NE, a short walk north of the Capitol. The main hall opens onto the front plaza, where taxis queue on the front roadway. Behind the train concourse sits a multi-level parking garage and bus deck reached from H Street NE, and there are side exits toward First Street NE and toward the Metro entrance.
Parts of the station and the garage are being reworked as Union Station's expansion plans move forward, and lane layouts can shift. For that reason the chauffeur confirms the meeting point by text as your train arrives: usually the front roadway at Columbus Circle, occasionally the garage level or a legal curb on First Street NE when the front is congested. Security around Capitol Hill means cars cannot idle for long, so the car waits nearby and pulls in when you walk out.
How meet and greet works here
Curbside pickup at the designated or confirmed stopping point is the standard service. The chauffeur does not come onto the platform or into the main hall unless you add meet and greet when you book. Add-ons are only available in selected locations; the booking engine tells you whether an inside meet can be added at Union Station for your time. Delegations, protective details and multi-car arrivals for official visits are planned by a coordinator and confirmed in writing through our government and diplomatic team.
Train tracking and waiting time
The pickup is timed to the train's actual arrival, not the timetable. If a Northeast Regional is held outside Baltimore, the chauffeur's arrival moves with it. Fifteen minutes of waiting is included from the time the train arrives, then waiting is charged in 15-minute blocks at the rate shown in the booking.
Luggage on arrival
Long-distance trains arrive with checked baggage on some routes, and the baggage claim area takes time. If you have checked bags, tell us, and budget 15-30 minutes before you are at the curb. For carry-on travellers from the Acela, the walk from the platform to the front plaza takes about five minutes. Match the car to the bags: two bags in a sedan, six in an SUV.
Drive times to the Washington airports
| Airport | Distance | Typical drive |
|---|---|---|
| Reagan National (DCA) | about 5 miles | 15-30 minutes |
| Dulles International (IAD) | about 28 miles | 40-70 minutes |
| Baltimore/Washington (BWI) | about 32 miles | 40-65 minutes |
Dulles and BWI times depend on the Beltway and I-66 or the Baltimore-Washington Parkway. Pickup rules at each airport are on the Reagan National, Dulles and BWI pages; private flyers can check the Dulles FBO page.
Hotels, Capitol Hill and business districts
From Union Station, Capitol Hill offices and the Senate and House buildings are 5-10 minutes away, security closures permitting. Downtown and the K Street corridor take 10-20 minutes; Georgetown 15-30 minutes; the Wharf 15-25 minutes; Crystal City and National Landing in Arlington 15-25 minutes; Tysons 25-50 minutes. Embassy Row along Massachusetts Avenue is 15-25 minutes. Street closures for motorcades, marches and state events are common, and the chauffeur routes around them.
Intercity trips by road
| Route | Distance | Typical drive |
|---|---|---|
| Baltimore | about 40 miles | 50-75 minutes |
| Annapolis | about 32 miles | 45-70 minutes |
| Richmond, Virginia | about 110 miles | 2 - 2 h 45 |
| Philadelphia | about 140 miles | 2 h 45 - 3 h 30 |
| New York | about 225 miles | 4 h 15 - 5 h 30 |
Book these as intercity transfers, or see chauffeur service in Baltimore and Richmond.
Choosing a vehicle class
- Standard Sedan and Luxury Executive Sedan: the everyday choice for a staffer or consultant heading to Capitol Hill or DCA, two passengers and two bags.
- Executive First Class Sedan (Maybach): for a principal or visiting executive.
- Standard Black SUV and Executive Black SUV: six passengers and six bags; often preferred for security-conscious travellers.
- Sprinter Van: 12 passengers for a delegation or a school group.
- Sprinter Luxury Jet Van: seven passengers with carry-ons, for a team working on the way to meetings.
- Luxury Stretch Limo and Party Bus: eight and 14 passengers for events and galas.
Armoured vehicles are on request through vetted partners and confirmed in writing; see secure transportation. All classes are on the fleet page and fare details on rates.
Accounts for agencies and firms
Associations, lobbying firms and contractors with frequent Union Station arrivals can use corporate accounts for monthly invoicing and traveller profiles. More on the city is on chauffeur service in Washington, DC and at Destination DC. Station information is published by Union Station.
