Car parks near to Winchester's railway station have been named as some of the most expensive in the UK.

A study conducted by Moneybarn delved into the parking costs at the busiest stations across the UK for an eight-hour stay during weekdays, to determine the most expensive places to park for commuters.

Winchester Railway Station was the ninth most expensive, with nearby car parks in Gladstone Street and Tower Street, both run by the council, costing £17 for eight hours parking.

A car park run by South Western Railway at Winchester Railway Station, in Stockbridge Road, was cheaper for the day - but still costs commuters £9.90.

Winchester offers connecting links to London, nearby towns and much of the south. The station is a key transport hub for both commuters and travellers, serving more than 2.9 million visitors in 2022.

A Chronicle reporter chatted to commuters in the area on Tuesday, March 26 to see what they thought.

Ian Hughes, 43, from Winchester, said: "I think it's astronomical. No wonder people look for alternatives when it comes to their commutes or where they have to park. If you're commuting on that cost and a train ticket every day, you're spending the best part of £150 a week solely on getting there."

READ MORE: Major city road to remain closed for more than two weeks for roadworks

Winchester resident Trisha Brown, 28, was shocked. She said: "To be honest, I'm actually surprised it's not higher. Parking in any city centre always brings high costs with it. I expect there are others in the area and spread around Hampshire that would make this car park cheap in comparison!"

The most expensive railway station car park in the UK is Oxford, with eight hours of parking costing non-rail users a whopping £31.50. Although rail users could access a cheaper fare. 

Also on the list, compiled by Moneybarn, was Reading, which came in number five on the list at a price of £21 for an eight-hour parking slot.

Hampshire Chronicle: Winchester Railway StationWinchester Railway Station (Image: Newsquest)

SEE ALSO: Man charged after car stolen from driveway in early hours of the morning

Moneybarn is a member of the Finance and Leasing Association, the official trade organisation of the motor finance industry.

Moneybarn's list of the busiest train stations in the UK was taken from the Office of Rail Regulation’s Estimates of station usage, with the parking prices for each railway station taken from each train station’s website or Parkopedia when prices could not be found on the website.

National Car Parks was also used for some train stations. Parking prices were taken for an eight-hour stay between 9am and 5pm on a Monday with the data accurate as of February 8, 2024.

South Western Railway was approached for comment but did not respond.