Lucknow: The integrated parking system at Charbagh railway station has been shut down just ninety days after its implementation. Due to substantial financial losses, ADMS, the contractor managing the parking facility, has terminated its agreement. Northern Railway will take over parking operations from Thursday with immediate effect.
In December 2024, the Lucknow division of Northern Railway had awarded the parking contract to ADMS. The contractor secured the Rs 5 crore contract by making an upfront payment of approximately Rs 1.5 crore. The scheme introduced parking slips at the reservation center, allowing free vehicle movement for the first ten minutes before imposing a minimum charge of Rs 20.
Initially, the parking system operated smoothly, but by January, passenger complaints began to surface. Issues such as overcharging and operational disputes at the station led to significant financial losses.
Abhishek Dubey, owner of ADMS, stated that internal conflicts at the station were a major reason for the operation incurring a daily loss of Rs 85,000, despite projections of generating Rs 1.5 lakh per day. Due to an inability to make the next installment payment, the contractor decided to terminate the agreement.
According to Kuldeep Tiwari, Senior Divisional Commercial Manager (DCM) of Northern Railway, ADMS withdrew from operations after three months without clearing the subsequent payment. As a result, Northern Railway will now manage the parking facility directly.
One of the major concerns that arose during the contract period was the cabway connecting Lucknow Junction with Charbagh railway station. Many passengers voiced their discontent over excessive charges, particularly regarding taxi services to Lucknow Junction, where a fee of Rs 80 was levied—Rs 60 of which was attributed to the cabway. To address these grievances, the railway administration has decided to collect parking charges at the time of vehicle entry, thereby eliminating double charging.
With Northern Railway assuming control, commuters expect a more transparent and efficient parking system at one of Lucknow’s busiest railway stations.
