Virgin puts up prices at station car park

COMMUTERS face another price hike after Virgin Trains raised it's daily parking fees by 50p.

The daily rate at the station car park now stands at £5, while off-peak tickets are no longer available.

Quarterly, annual, weekend and bank holiday rates remain unchanged.

Virgin Trains spokeswoman Philippa Richardson said the changes were to ensure regular travellers could get a parking space.

She said: “The car park was becoming very very full because we were offering the cheapest rates in the area and we still are.

“Many of our regular season ticket holders, which is really who the car park is there for, weren't able to get parking places.

“Increasing prices is a way of managing it, and that's constantly under review.”

Stephanie Clifford, chair of Rugby Rail Users Group, agreed with the motive for the price rise and the removal of the off-peak rate which was £3 for vehicles parking outside of busy commuting hours.

She added parking at Rugby station was still cheaper than similar towns, due to a nearby rival car park.

She said: “£8 a day seems to be the going rate, if you look at similar stations such as Coventry, Birmingham International or Runcorn.

“I think the key factor in Rugby is the existence of the rival Ponder car park across the road from the Virgin Trains one, which charges £6 a day.

“It keeps Virgin honest in Rugby, whereas in other towns, station parking is sort of a licence to print money.”

– A survey has revealed people who commute from Rugby to London are still thousands of pounds a year better off than they would be if they lived in the capital despite the recent rise in rail fares.

Estate Agents Haart claimed Rugby commuters achieved an average annual saving of £7,679 – the sixth highest out of 14 surveyed towns.

The survey found around half of mortgage savings achieved through moving to regions outside of London are gobbled up by the cost of an annual season ticket to the capital.

Stephanie Clifford added: “Rugby has always been our hidden gem and now I'm just a little bit concerned about the magic being blown away. We're going to need a bigger train!”

Share This

Regional news »