Northern Rail may introduce new car park charges for Yorkshire's rail users
Earlier this week it was announced that rail commuters across Yorkshire may face additional expenses to their commute.
New parking charges at train stations could come into play, the BBC have reported. Currently many car parks at train stations across Yorkshire are free to use. However, Northern Rail stated that the introduction of charges is currently being considered by the Department for Transport.
A Northern Rail spokesperson said: “We continue to have constructive discussions with the Department for Transport and Rail North on what they want to happen in the new franchise agreement for Northern between April 2014 and February 2016.”
“As part of those discussions we have been asked to provide proposals that would reduce the cost to the taxpayer of running the railway as well as providing better facilities and information for Northern customers.”
“The details of the new franchise agreement are still being finalised and we cannot comment further until it is signed.”
With commuters facing even more charges on top of increased rail fares, more people are expected to turn to their cars as a means of transport for their regular journeys to and from work, as well as weekend trips to Yorkshire's bigger cities.
As The Guardian reported in 2010, Leeds rail commuters are set to double over the next 25 years. We're expecting busier car parks particularly in Leeds as commuters look to save money by driving to work.
Do you use free railway station parking to commute? What do you think of the proposed charges? Are the reasons for charging for parking at local railway stations in Yorkshire justified? Let us know on Twitter or by joining the debate on Facebook
How much money could you save on your commute?
We've a range of season ticket passes available for monthly and yearly parking spaces in Leeds city centre. Our car parks are located across Leeds city centre within minutes of Leeds train station.
Credit to Flickr for the images.