We are increasingly concerned at the high cost of car parking at many rail stations.
The Per Day Charge at Peterborough is now £10. Cambridge and Ipswich are £6 and Norwich £6.50.
These charges are worrying because:
* High charges deter people from using the train.
* For short journeys parking could be more than the train fare.
* It will lead to more people being dropped off at stations rather than parking so leading to more
car traffic.
These rises have occurred because parking charges are not capped, unlike some fares, so they are an
asy target for train operators.
Railfuture believes that:
* Charges should be capped and increases linked to car park improvements.
* To encourage people to travel by bus to station bus fares should be made cheaper - but it appears that
many people will not use the bus.
* Bus operators need to improve services especially early morning and late evening. A 10-minute
frequency during the day dropping to every hour by 19.00 is not good enough for rail passengers who may
be returning late.
