COUNCILLOR Jude Green has rightly raised concerns about the huge increase in car parking charges at Malvern Link Station (Station parking soars by 300 per cent, Gazette, September 13).

A West Midlands Railway spokesperson is quoted as saying this 300 per cent increase in parking charges will ‘bring the pricing structure at the site into line with other comparable stations’.

What utter rubbish!

On the same train line Northfield, Kings Norton and Selly Oak stations all have free parking thus encouraging commuters and shoppers to use the trains rather than drive into Birmingham city centre.

Malvern Town Council’s Neighbourhood Plan, approved by a massive 90 per cent-plus majority of voters a few years ago, recommended Malvern Link station has ‘potential for bus-rail interchange with park and ride’.

Not much chance of this ever happening given these increased parking charges and Worcestershire County Council cuts to local bus services on both the Howsell and Worcester roads.

To make matters worse the service provided by West Midlands Railway is beset by more and more cancellations.

On Saturday, September 14 my wife and I went to visit a relative in Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham.

We booked our train tickets that morning but half an hour later when we got to the station were dismayed to find not only the train we hoped to catch had been cancelled but the next one as well — both because West Midlands Railway was unable to find the necessary train crew.

So we had to drive to Kings Norton (free parking at station) and catch the local train to University.

Reliable train services are an essential public service. West Midlands Railway is not up to the job and should be taken into public ownership.

Martin Willis

Malvern

What do you think? Write to letters@malverngazette.co.uk.