Railroad Parking Fees Could Skyrocket This Summer

The down economy could lead to large fee increases for parking at nearby train stations. Yet the list remains long for many commuters who have waited years to get a spot. 

“Little progress has been made at solving this crucial long-term problem,” according to the CT Rail Commuter Council's 2010 annual report. “At a time when new rail cars are expanding potential ridership, there has been almost no progress by CDOT in expanding rail parking and access. Some  stations have wait lists as long as six years for annual parking permits.” 

The Westport Police Department, which oversees those parking lots, is proposing a 78 percent fee increase for annual passes and a 25 percent increase for daily parking.

Currently, the annual fees to park at the Stamford station costs $42 per month for residents and $84 a month for non-residents. Daily fees are $3 and $8 for garage parking.

It will be the first parking fee increase in Westport in seven years, according to Deputy Chief Dale Call.  Stamford and others on the Metro-North line could soon follow suit. A survey of other towns shows that Westport currently has the cheapest annual parking fees in all of Fairfield County.

“The simplest reason is that the expenses are higher than the revenues,” said Call. He added, “Revenue stays the same and/or drops, especially over the last year. The expenses go up every year.”

If the new fees in Westport are approved, effective July 1 the annual parking would rise from $225 to $400, while daily parking would increase from $4 to $5.

Although a portion of the parking lots are owned by the state, municipalities are responsible for maintenance, security and enforcement. Call said that the money for larger projects, such as repaving, simply isn’t there. He cited snow removal cost that totaled $225,000 for the parking lots this past winter, which was $100,000 over budget.

Call also said that the increases will bring Westport’s fees in line with other towns, most of which have charged more over the years. While the fee increases will boost the railing parking fund’s finances, it could also conceivably have some additional benefits.  

With the additional fees, the years-long waiting list could shrink a bit as people may opt out of parking passes.

“Will it shake some permits?” said Call. “It might. I don’t know if that’s a big benefit.”

He added, “It might make some people use the bus, but that’s not the reason for us doing this.”

Jim Cameron, chairman of the CT Metro-North Commuter Council, said that "Westport has a very good track record on using parking revenues first to serve commuters (station repairs, security, etc) and only then taking left-overs for other purposes."

He hopes, "the same would be true of such a sizable jump in annual fees. Otherwise the price hike could be seen as a tax on commuters who have no other options," he said in an email.

$42/month for residents. $84/month for non-residents

$279-$488

$225

$400