Appeal Your Railway Station
Parking Charge Notice
Train station parking charges from operators like Indigo Parking and SABA Parking are among the most vulnerable to appeal. Railway byelaw land means POFA keeper liability simply does not apply - the registered keeper has no legal obligation to pay.
The law that normally lets a parking company chase the vehicle's registered keeper - the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 (POFA) - does not apply on railway byelaw land. So at most train stations the operator simply cannot make you, the keeper, pay. They would have to prove who was actually driving, which they almost never can - which is what makes these charges so winnable.
Operators and Locations We Cover
We regularly handle railway station parking appeals from these operators and locations:
One of the UK's largest railway station car park operators, managing sites at hundreds of Network Rail and train company stations across England, Scotland, and Wales.
APCOA also manages some railway station car parks. Where these are on byelaw land, the same keeper liability argument applies on top of our standard APCOA appeal approach.
Network Rail owns the land at most major UK railway stations. Parking on this land is subject to railway byelaws, not standard private land regulations.
Many smaller stations managed by individual train operators (e.g., Northern, Avanti, GWR) also qualify under the byelaws argument.
Why Station Parking Charges Can Be Challenged
Railway byelaw land is excluded from POFA 2012. Without POFA, the operator cannot transfer liability to the registered keeper - only the driver can be pursued.
Since keeper liability cannot be established, you have no legal obligation to name the driver. We submit the appeal on this basis.
Even where byelaws may not apply, POFA's 14-day NTK rule provides an additional basis for appeal if the notice was served late or incorrectly formatted.
If contractual terms were not clearly displayed at the entrance to the car park, the operator cannot rely on an implied contract with the driver.
Railway Parking Appeal FAQ
Railway station car parks are often on land covered by railway byelaws, which means the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 (POFA) does not apply. Without POFA, parking operators cannot legally establish keeper liability - meaning the registered keeper has no statutory obligation to pay.
Indigo Parking (now rebranded as SABA Parking in parts of the UK) is a major operator of railway station car parks across Britain. They issue parking charge notices at train stations on behalf of Network Rail and train operating companies.
Railway byelaws are a separate legal framework that govern conduct on railway land. Because POFA only applies to roads and private land not subject to byelaws, operators on byelaw land cannot use the keeper liability provisions in POFA to pursue the registered keeper.
Yes - you should still formally appeal. The parking company will continue to chase the debt and may pass it to a debt collector if not challenged. A formal appeal on byelaws grounds puts your case on record and typically resolves the matter.
Related parking appeal guides
APCOA manages some station car parks. Our APCOA guide covers the keeper liability approach we use where byelaws do not apply.
A late NTK is a strong second line of attack on station charges where the byelaws argument may not apply on its own.
Flying rather than taking the train? We handle airport drop-off and pick-up charges at every major UK airport too.
£10 flat fee. Money back if your appeal is unsuccessful or out of scope. Takes 2 minutes.