Drop off fees at Train stations?

[pint]

With Airports increasing Drop off fees - Bristol is £8.50 for a drop off, of upto 10 minutes and £10.50 for over 10 minutes, with stiff fines and penalties for those who forget to pay via the app/ online,
How long will it be before UK Train stations start doing the same?

 

[WideRanger]

With Airports increasing Drop off fees - Bristol is £8.50 for a drop off, of upto 10 minutes and £10.50 for over 10 minutes, with stiff fines and penalties for those who forget to pay via the app/ online,
How long will it be before UK Train stations start doing the same?

Unless the railway station owns all of the roads around them, it would be impossible. It only works for airports because of their ownership of the roads.

So, in terms of charging by the railways, never.

Of course, road pricing more generally seems inevitable, as soon as it becomes politically acceptable to move from fuel duty.

 

[D365]

In theory, Derby station now charges 50p for 20 minutes or 30 minutes drop-off, depending on which car park is used. I'm not sure if this is enforced though with the new ANPR (automatic numberplate recognition) system.

 

[Kite159]

In theory, Derby station now charges 50p for 20 minutes or 30 minutes drop-off, depending on which car park is used. I'm not sure if this is enforced though with the new ANPR (automatic numberplate recognition) system.

If anything the parking parasite company will enforce it with their cameras, it's an extra revenue stream for them

 

[The exile]

Unlike airports, where people rarely have any option (especially if public transport operators are also charged), the potential revenue from such a move at railway stations is minimal. In general I can only see it as a likelihood as a measure against congestion.

 

[sprunt]

In theory, Derby station now charges 50p for 20 minutes or 30 minutes drop-off, depending on which car park is used. I'm not sure if this is enforced though with the new ANPR (automatic numberplate recognition) system.

But why would you use that when you can just drop someone off on Railway Terrace, or if the free parking spots there are full (and the driver doesn't want to pull up to let the passenger out on the yellow lines, which is in practice what most would actually do) on one of the side streets off Midland Road?

 

[GRALISTAIR]

Manchester is outrageous.

 

[The exile]

Manchester is outrageous.

Airport or Piccadilly / Victoria?

 

[GRALISTAIR]

Airport or Piccadilly / Victoria?

Sorry - Manchester Airport.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Sorry - Manchester Airport.

A work around might be to be dropped off at Shadowmoss tram stop on the Metrolink system. £1.40 single fare from there for the short hop to the Airport. Or £1.90/£2.30 from Heald Green by rail.

 

[mmh]

Or use the free drop off and bus: https://www.manchesterairport.co.uk/getting-to-and-from/by-car/

Less walking than the station.

 

[lowe1409]

Or use the free drop off and bus: https://www.manchesterairport.co.uk/getting-to-and-from/by-car/

Less walking than the station.

The problem with that is pickup. Theres no free pickup at the airport so would still require you to get picked up from outside of the airport. Speaking of, I get it's inside an airport but Manchester airport station has some outrageous drop off fees imposed by the airport.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

A work around might be to be dropped off at Shadowmoss tram stop on the Metrolink system. £1.40 single fare from there for the short hop to the Airport. Or £1.90/£2.30 from Heald Green by rail.

That's my trick... Don't tell everyone!

 

[Howardh]

That's my trick... Don't tell everyone!

It's a well-known work-around, and of course for senior pass holders it's a free ride! I was once dropped off at the pub overlooking the runway and walked to T3, although I believe the pub has ANPR now to stop that?

Meanwhile as for stations, At Bolton there's a taxi-rank area outside the station with what looks to be a public drop-off zone, and I think the limit is 20mins. So presumably if you exceed that there's a fine due, rather than any kind of add-on machine/app; also doesn't appear to be any ANPR cameras to enforce this. Does anyone know if anyone's ever been "fined"?

But with cameras it could easily be a paid drop-off zone.

 

[whoosh]

Hmm...
People need to get from their home near Luton to Alicante. They can either pay to park, or pay to get dropped off. The airport love it.

People need to get from their home near Luton to London. They can either pay to park at the railway station (which let's not forget during all the years of Standard Open fares being capped, ancillary costs like parking were not) and catch the train, or they can be dropped off for free and catch the train. However, they have a third option of driving all the way and not paying anything at all to the railway.

Driving all the way is not really an alternative option for the vast majority of air travel. Paying to not walk to the airport, and paying for overpriced bottles of water which you have to put in a bin, and then paying for more overpriced bottles of water the other side of security is all part of the fun money-go-round of air travel.
Driving all the way is an option for a considerable amount of rail travel, and I would say that some railway station parking charges are already pushing their luck and quite possibly actually being a deterrent to rail travel.
To add a further deterrent with a drop off charge, pushing people to get a lift all the way, or Uber etc. would be suicidal.

But then, anyone who agrees with me doesn't matter. It'll be some Civil Servant or CEO type 'exploring' extra revenue (disregarding driving any away) that will decide.

 

[Acathater]

Unless the railway station owns all of the roads around them, it would be impossible. It only works for airports because of their ownership of the roads.

So, in terms of charging by the railways, never.

Of course, road pricing more generally seems inevitable, as soon as it becomes politically acceptable to move from fuel duty.

In many cases the immediate roads are railway land, with the nearest public roads either having parking restrictions or a lengthy walk