Virgin Trains has been condemned for raising car parking prices at its stations in Birmingham by up to almost 50 per cent.
The rail company, which manages car parks along the West Coast Mainline, claims it has put up prices to pay for CCTV and more parking spaces.
But passenger groups and unions have condemned the move as excessive, claiming it could force people to abandon public transport.
Kevin Chapman, from West Midlands Campaign for Better Transport, said: “I could understand a little bit of an increase to cover the cost of improvements but this is way above inflation and I believe it is excessive.
“Rail companies need to strike a better balance between paying for improvements and passing on some cost to the customer. This increase is a huge jump, which is a bit excessive, and it could cause people to divert from rail straight back to using their cars.
“Passengers are sure to be aghast at figures like this.”
Virgin Trains is responsible for Birmingham International, Wolverhampton and Coventry railway stations.
Charges have risen between 25 per cent and 50 per cent, with the cost of parking at Birmingham International rising on Monday, September 28, from £6 to £8 (a 25 per cent increase), monthly from £70 to £98 (25 per cent) and annually from £655 to £980 (50 per cent).
This was also condemned by the Transport Salaried Staffs Association (TSSA).
General secretary Gerry Doherty said: “The rail companies are picking the pockets of millions of passengers simply because they can get away with it.”
A Virgin Trains spokeswoman said: “We have increased parking prices at stations where we’ve had improvement works but we’ve also spent £90 million on improvements, including CCTV and more parking spaces.
“This is the first increase in five years and it has nothing to do with rail fares.”
