Shock 50 per cent parking fee hike set for Rugby Station - The Rugby Observer

Shock 50 per cent parking fee hike set for Rugby Station

Rugby Editorial 19th Aug, 2016 Updated: 27th Oct, 2016   0

RAIL users have reacted angrily to a 50 per cent hike in the cost of parking at Rugby station.

Daily parking rates at the station will rise from £6 to £9 on September 5, while the reduced off-peak rate will be abolished.

Operator Virgin Trains said the change in pricing structure brought Rugby in line with other car parks in the vicinity.

The chair of Rugby Rail Users Group (RRUG) said she was shocked.




Stephanie Clifford told The Observer: “It is likely that by the autumn, the car parks will still be full, but we will be paying big city prices.

“Even for annual season ticket holders, the increase is 30 per cent, taking the rate to £950 – and that’s before you even set foot on a train.


“The off-peak rate change is puzzling, as by definition this can only be used if there are spaces available, so the price does not diminish peak time demand.

“Coming on top of the new parking restrictions in Technology Drive, some will see this increase in charges as a double whammy.”

She also expressed frustration that plans to extend the station car parks and fix faulty electronic signs seemed to have stalled.

A Virgin Trains spokesman said parking charges at Rugby station had been discounted for ‘the last few years’ to encourage more people to travel by train.

He added: “We have seen a growing demand for parking spaces and our car parks have become regularly full at certain times of the day.

“We have ensured that all rail users who hold season tickets (either with Virgin Trains or other Train Operating Companies) will get a more competitive rate than non-rail users.

“We will be looking at ways to further invest in our car parks in the near future to make them more user-friendly and enhance the experience for our customers when travelling from Rugby.”

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