KOCHI: Railway passengers have come out against the sharp increase in parking fees at railway stations across the state. The revised parking fees came into force on June 1. As per the revised fee chart, the parking fee for two-wheelers has been raised from Rs 200 per month to Rs 600 per month.
According to Liyons J, general secretary, Friends on Rails, this is not a temporary change, but a daylight robbery. “The railways has only increased the parking fees. But there has been no increase in facilities. Most stations do not even have a proper structure with a roof to park two-wheelers. Contract employees do not ensure any security for the vehicle. Vehicles are parked at owners’ risk in many places. There are places where they are parked in mud without even CCTV facilities. Damage to vehicles and theft of petrol are daily incidents,” he added.
For cycles, the monthly charge is now Rs 200. For three and four-wheelers, for up to two hours the charge has been increased to Rs 30 and for more than three days the charge now is Rs 600. If the parking goes beyond 96 hours, then the charge per day is an additional Rs 200.
Earlier, the parking rates were - Rs 5 for two-wheelers, Rs 25 for three-wheelers and cars and Rs 120 for bus and mini-bus up to 2 hours. From 2 to 8 hours, the change in rates are Rs 15, 40 and 250 respectively. For 8 to 24 hours, it is Rs 20, Rs 60 and Rs 360. For 24 to 48 hours, it is Rs 50, Rs 150 and 800. For 48 to 72 hours, it is Rs 100, Rs 250 and Rs 1,200. For monthly pass, the rate is Rs 360 for two-wheelers. No monthly pass is issued for four-wheelers.
According to Paul Manvettom, president of the All Kerala Railway Users Association, the steep increase in parking fees has come as a big shock for the passengers who are all middle-class salaried people. “These people depend upon the railways since they find it an affordable mode of transport. However, if the railways charges them steeply just to keep their vehicles on its land without any assurances of safety of their property, it is doing them an injustice. I will be writing a letter seeking immediate rollback of the revised parking charges,” he added.
According to Liyons, apart from the train ticket, passengers now have to set aside an amount of Rs 1,200 per month just for parking. “A huge financial burden has been imposed on railway passengers. The parking contract terms are also not transparent. Vehicle season is not given to all passengers who request it. Things here happen according to the whims and fancies of the contract employee. Season is given in some places only to those who park for less than 8 hours. How can an office-goer or a shop assistant return in eight hours?” he asked.
Meanwhile, Kodikunnil Suresh, MP, wrote a letter to the divisional railway manager, Thiruvananthapuram Division, seeking rollback of the parking fee hike. He said, “The recent hike in parking fees at various railway stations has caused widespread public dissatisfaction and financial strain, particularly on daily commuters, working-class individuals, and economically weaker sections.
As reported in the media, the parking fees have surged steeply — two-wheeler parking charges reaching Rs 50 and four-wheelers being charged up to Rs 100. In some instances, the new rates are reportedly applicable even for minimal durations such as 20 to 30 minutes, which is highly unreasonable and unjustified. This sudden hike is creating additional burdens on the common man and may discourage citizens from using railway premises for legitimate and necessary purposes, such as accompanying elderly passengers, schoolchildren, and differently-abled individuals.”