We have heard from Great Western Railway that charges will apply in Gunnislake train station Car park from 01 September 2025.
The information from GWR is as follows:
As you may be aware, GWR like other operators remains in significant receipt of taxpayer subsidy following the pandemic. Introducing charges also helps us to reduce this subsidy, with all revenue from car parking charges returned to Government. This will also help us to protect the car park for the benefit of rail customers.We will be remarking existing parking bays, and APCOA, who manage car parks on GWR’s behalf, will commence routine patrols to manage the car park and tariffs.The tariff at Gunnislake will be £3 all day if customers park prior to 12 noon and £2 if parking from noon onwards.
Customers will be able to purchase parking tickets either online (through APCOA’s app or webpage), or from a new pay and display ticket machine with either card or cash. There will also be 20 minutes free car parking (like at all our car parks), allowing for pick-up/drop-off.
We understand this represents a change for local users, and we greatly appreciate your understanding as we implement these measures.
The Car Park is not managed by the Parish Council
Why only Gunnislake?
Do Calstock residents continue to enjoy free car parking at the rail station as well as in the Council car park?
It seems unfair.
The residents of Drakewalls will be delighted by this proposal, as rail users abandon the station car park to leave cars on the narrow roads around the station or on the A390 for free.
The railway station car park at Calstock is managed by the Parish Council. The train station car park at Gunnislake is owned and managed by Great Western Rail.
I’ve only just heard about this ridiculous situation!
I am VERY angry about this.
That carpark is a local asset and is used regularly by the rail-users. When these charges come in, Wellpark Rd, Cemetery Rd towards Albaston, the Calstock Parish Council carpark, and maybe Station Rd will all be clogged, and Gunnislake Station carpark will be little used.
This is an absolutely stupid idea and could well be the death-knell for Gunnislake Station.
Gunnislake station is not in Gunnislake and people drive there to use the train, shoppers, commuters, holiday-makers. It will put people off using it.
It’s £8 odd for a Plymouth return ticket, plus the £3 parking charge, makes it about £12 return.
Inflation or what? !!!!
Yours, very angrily,
Mick Fairhust.
Just another thought.
A local family, park at Gunnislake station this week or so, and know nothing about this forthcoming parking charge situation, and take the train to Plymouth and a taxi to Bretonside for the ferry, and then spend a week or so in Brittany, only to come back to Gunnislake to find they have a parking fine!!!!!
Stupid in the extreme.
Angrily, Mick.
This does seem a backward step. We already have a very limited service and this extra expense isn’t likely to encourage people to take the train. Although we live in Gunnislake we usually park at the station as a slog up Stony Lane isn’t always the best way to start a day out.
We drove to Callington this morning, Thursday 28th August and the 1st of September is only on Monday.
There is zero sign of any work being done to install pay meters.
Where is the preparation? How are they installing the power supplies to them?
No prep whatsoever, and I can’t see it happening this weekend.
Mick
The Parish Council has not received any updates from Great Western Railway so as far as we are aware the charges will apply from 01-09-2025.