RAIL passengers travelling from York face an inflation-busting hike in the cost of car parking at the station.

The mammoth price increase comes into force in July and means a day ticket at the GNER-run car park will leap from £8 to £12 - a rise of 50 per cent.

Season ticket holders will also be forced to pay hundreds of pounds more to use the car park. An annual parking permit is set to soar from £864 to £1,296.

The news was met with anger by passengers, with one rail campaigner branding the increases "absolutely scandalous."

Train operator GNER said the move was in response to car park charges increasing elsewhere in the city centre.

A day ticket at the nearby Nunnery Lane car park, run by City of York Council, now costs £9.50.

Under the plans, monthly tickets will increase from £112 to £168 while weekly tickets will rise to £48 from £32. There are 551 long-stay car parking spaces at the station.

Coun Tracey Simpson-Laing, shadow transport spokeswoman, said: "For those people who have no alternative but to park there, it is quite a large price rise. Hopefully, people will be able to use other means of transport to get to the station."

Peter Davies, Yorkshire branch chairman of Rail Future, an independent pressure group, warned the price hike will make people think twice before travelling by rail.

He said: "To charge rail passengers what is almost a 50 per cent increase is very steep. It is absolutely scandalous.

"If they are going to put such a steep increase they ought to start putting on additional security for motorists.

"To charge people an additional parking fee on top of their rail ticket acts as a deterrent to rail usage."

GNER spokesman John Gelson said the firm has invested heavily in the station's facilities and another £4 million of improvements is planned, including an extra 58 long-stay car park spaces.

He said: "Car park charges at York station have not risen for more than 18 months, whilst charges elsewhere in the city centre have increased.

"Our new prices will remain competitive with other all-day parking charges in the city centre."

He said GNER has pledged to freeze the day parking rate for 18 months until January 2008.

He said: "The new prices reflect the investment already made in York station, and that there is much more to come."

The RAC today described the price hike as "a huge increase". A spokesman said: "No viable alternative is being presented."

Council charges £9.50 all day

MOTORISTS have to pay £9.50 to park all day in one of City of York Council's nearest car parks to the railway station.

The charge entitles a driver to leave his car in the Nunnery Lane standard car park from 8am until midnight, after which parking is free until 8am the following day.

A council spokeswoman said the same charge applies to someone wanting to park before 8am, for example a commuter catching a train at just after 7am. The car park is about five minutes walk from the station.

The Press' Stop The Highway Robbery campaign in 2004 had a primary aim of cutting new evening parking charges and restrictions, although many supporters also expressed deep concerns about the amount charged to park in the day.

The campaign petition, which was signed by more than 6,500 people, resulted in reductions in evening charges, the removal of double yellow lines in several city streets and the freezing of standard daytime parking charges.

Updated: 15:26 Tuesday, May 09, 2006