Fees to be charged at railway station car parks to help fund improvements
CAR parking charges are to be introduced at nine stations on the railway line which goes through Derbyshire and Staffordshire.
Prices at Ambergate, Duffield, Uttoxeter, Whatstandwell, Blythe Bridge, Alsager, Kidsgrove, Longton, and Stamford, will be £2 daily.
East Midlands Trains said it was introducing the charges from spring to help fund a multi-million-pound station and fleet improvement programme.
David Horne, the firm's commercial & customer Service director, said charging was "standard practice" at the vast majority of stations.
He said: "The new rates are competitively priced. They reflect the cost of alternative local car parking as well as our continuing investment to improve station facilities on these lines and our £5 million programme to refurbish the trains which serve them."
Charges will apply every day, including weekends, and staff will be conducting regular checks at each station to ensure passengers are using the new pay and display machines.
Prices will be charged at £2 daily, £8 weekly, £24 monthly and £240 for a year. Passengers will be able to pay for their ticket with either cash or credit/debit card.
There are also plans in place to introduce a new charging system at Matlock's station car park later in the year.
A Derbyshire County Council report on the matter says its highways officers would need to ensure people were not causing "traffic or congestion problems" by parking on nearby roads to dodge the new fees.
3 Comments
by Les, Derby
Wednesday, February 23 2011, 9:57PM
“DD,
I have to agree.
Although £2 isnt that bad for all day, it goes a long way to paying the parking in Derby & the Train fare wont be much different to the petrol cost.
We are going to the NEC next month - we were going to go by train but the parking charge on top of the train fare make pointless. If we book the tickets weeks in advance, it saves a couple of quid but if plans change we loose the money. If we pay on the day its far more expensive than going in the car.
I would love to use the train more (having worked on the railway for years) but 9 times out of 10 we end up driving.
The railway is a business but as most people already know - the shops that are doing well are the ones with free parking - they know it makes good business sense.”
by EMT, Derby
Wednesday, February 23 2011, 8:04PM
“DD,Pride Park
What a stupid comment, people pay to park in Westfield, should they not pay and shop? Surely a £2 charge for a days parking is not excessive, how else do you raise money in this economy to make a profit. All companies have a duty to make money, remember the Railway is now a buisiness run by private companies and not a public service when it was British Rail.”
by DD, Pride Park
Wednesday, February 23 2011, 12:57PM
“A further reason not to go by train - what is the purpose. May as well drive.”