Gare Centrale Montréal Car Service: Private Chauffeur at Montréal Central Station

Gare Centrale sits underground in the middle of downtown Montréal, and that single fact shapes every pickup. If you want a Gare Centrale Montréal car service, you are really asking three questions: where does the chauffeur meet me, how long will the ride to my hotel, the airport or Old Montréal take, and is a private car worth it over the metro and the 747 shuttle? This page answers all three for travellers arriving from Toronto, Ottawa, Québec City, New York and further afield.

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Chauffeur service at Montréal Central Station: how Enroutz.ca delivers it

Enroutz.ca runs its own fleet from the Toronto desk for Toronto, the GTA and Ontario. In Montréal the ride is delivered by a vetted, licensed and commercially insured local chauffeur partner, and the booking, confirmation and invoice all come from the Enroutz.ca desk. You deal with one team, get one confirmation and one invoice, and have one point of contact 24/7. Partner vehicles are no more than four model years old.

That arrangement matters at Gare Centrale for a practical reason: Montréal's downtown has its own traffic rules, one-way streets and construction, and a local chauffeur partner who works the area every day handles them without guesswork. You still book on the Enroutz.ca booker, which shows the exact fare for your address and vehicle before you pay.

Typical Gare Centrale bookings:

• Executives and officials arriving on the VIA Rail corridor from Toronto and Ottawa.
• Visitors from New York on the Amtrak Adirondack, many heading to hotels and conferences.
• Leisure travellers continuing to Mont-Tremblant or the Eastern Townships.
• Transfers from Gare Centrale to Montréal-Trudeau Airport (YUL) for international departures.

For the Toronto side of the same journey, see Union Station Toronto.

Where is the pickup at Gare Centrale Montréal?

Underground stations are different from airports. The platforms and concourses are below the street, and the curbside is a short escalator or elevator ride away. Allow ten minutes between stepping off the train and reaching a vehicle if you have large bags, and longer if you use the accessible route.

Meeting options:

1. Curbside meeting. Walk to the street-level entrance and meet the chauffeur at the point named in the confirmation. This is the default.
2. Name-board meet-and-greet. Add the option at booking and the chauffeur waits inside the station with a name board; an alias on the board is available for privacy.
3. Accessible route. VIA Rail offers curbside assistance with 48 hours' notice; you can use that service together with a pre-booked car.

Waiting time on a station pickup is 15 minutes from the scheduled pickup time. If your train is delayed, tell the desk, which is open 24/7.

Gare Centrale facts for visitors

VIA Rail's own page lists these details, which are worth knowing before you arrive:

• Address: 895 de la Gauchetière West, Montréal, QC H3B 4G1.
• Station hours: Monday to Saturday 05:30 to 23:00; Sunday 07:30 to 23:00.
• Amtrak counter: open daily 07:00 to 17:00, credit cards only, passport required.
• Facilities: waiting room, restaurant, snack bar, convenience store, bank, exchange office and Wi-Fi.
• Connections: EXO commuter trains, the REM, STM metro, STM, RTL, STL and intercity buses, a 747 express shuttle to YUL, Bixi bike share, taxi and Budget car rental inside the station.
• Metro: the station is near Bonaventure and McGill metro stations.

Read the full station page on VIA Rail's Montréal Central Station page and the Amtrak station listing. Hours change with the season, so check the day of travel.

Gare Centrale to Montréal-Trudeau Airport (YUL)

YUL is about 20 km from the station, usually 25 to 45 minutes by road depending on Highway 20 and the Décarie Interchange. By public transport, the 747 express shuttle, which VIA lists as the airport link, is the most direct option. The REM's airport branch is not in service: the REM's own site reports that dynamic testing began on the airport branch in August 2026 and gives no opening date, so for now do not plan on it. See the REM site for updates.

Read our Montréal-Trudeau airport page for the terminal-side procedures.

Arriving from Toronto, Ottawa or Québec City

Gare Centrale is the destination of VIA Rail's corridor trains from Toronto and Ottawa and the western end of the Québec City line. The Ocean to Halifax also starts here. A typical journey chain is: train to Gare Centrale, chauffeur to the hotel or boardroom, another chauffeur at the end of the day.

• From Toronto: about 540 km by road, a rail journey of roughly four to six hours depending on the train. A private car is faster only if you start from an address a long way from Union Station.
• From Ottawa: about 200 km, a short rail hop with a small time difference. Ottawa travellers often take the train to avoid Highway 417 traffic.
• From Québec City: about 255 km, around two and a half hours by road.

If the plan includes a stop in Québec City, see the Québec City car service and the Québec province page.

Arriving from New York on the Amtrak Adirondack

Amtrak's Adirondack runs from New York's Moynihan Train Hall to Montréal in about 10 hours, via the Hudson Valley, Albany, Lake Champlain, Plattsburgh and Rouses Point. Read the schedule on Amtrak's Adirondack page before you travel, because timetables and border formalities are set by Amtrak and the border agencies. Amtrak's Montréal counter requires a valid passport and takes credit cards only.

For Americans and Gulf visitors arriving by the Adirondack, we recommend booking the pickup before you leave New York so you do not shop for a car at the exit of a long journey. If you need the New York end arranged, see New York Penn Station and the New York car service.

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Hotels and districts from Gare Centrale

The station sits under the Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth, which means the first hotel is a few steps from the platforms. Further options are a short drive away.

• Old Montréal: about 2 km, 10 to 15 minutes, cobblestone streets with limited vehicle access in places.
• Palais des congrès de Montréal: about 1.5 km, 8 to 12 minutes.
• Golden Square Mile and McGill: about 2 km, 8 to 15 minutes.
• Plateau and Mile End: about 4 to 6 km, 15 to 25 minutes.
• Mont-Tremblant: about 130 to 150 km, around one and a half to two hours.

Use the hotels hub for our individual hotel pages, and the Montréal car service page for city-wide service.

Cruise passengers and the St. Lawrence

Cruise ships on the St. Lawrence call at Montréal, and passengers often combine a ship with a train to or from Gare Centrale. For a station-to-ship transfer, see our Montréal cruise terminal page. A chauffeur is most useful when the ship's disembarkation window and your train departure are close together.

A sample day: train in, meetings, train out

Many Gare Centrale bookings are one-day business trips, and the logistics are worth planning backwards from the return train.

1. Arrive on an early corridor train, and meet the chauffeur at the point named in your confirmation.
2. Drive to the first meeting in the downtown core or at the Palais des congrès, usually 5 to 15 minutes.
3. Use an hourly booking if you have several stops: the car waits, and you avoid repeated hailing in the afternoon.
4. Return to Gare Centrale at least 45 minutes before departure. The station is an underground concourse, and a rushed run from the curb to the track is the usual way people miss trains.

For an as-directed day, see the hourly chauffeur page. If you are making the same trip from Ottawa, see Ottawa Station.

Luggage, children and comfort

Chauffeurs help with luggage from the curb to the vehicle. An Executive Sedan or First Class Sedan takes up to three passengers with two large and two cabin bags; a Luxury SUV takes up to six with five or six large bags. Child, toddler and booster seats can be requested at booking, and most vehicles carry Wi-Fi, water and phone chargers. If you are travelling with a stroller or a wheelchair, tell the desk when you book so the vehicle class can be confirmed with space in mind.

Language and etiquette in Québec

French is the official language of Québec, and most service staff switch to English willingly, but a greeting in French is appreciated. If you would prefer a French-speaking chauffeur, say so when you book and the desk will confirm what can be arranged for your date. We cannot promise French or English speakers on every ride, only that the desk will tell you before you pay.

Winter travel and weather

Montréal winters are cold and snowy, and the station's underground design means you can leave a train in comfort and step straight into a heated vehicle. In heavy snow, plan an extra 15 to 30 minutes for road transfers and for the 20 km run to YUL. Tell the desk if you have unusual luggage, such as skis or hockey bags, so the right vehicle class is confirmed.

Corporate and group transfers

For groups, an Executive Sprinter carries up to 12 passengers with 12 bags; mini-coaches and coaches (20 to 56 seats) are available on request. Corporate accounts are invoiced monthly; read about the corporate chauffeur service and corporate accounts. The worldwide chauffeur network page explains how a Montréal ride is delivered while the Toronto desk books it.

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