I was going to say that anyone would chose a one station train ride over paying 600$+ for a parking pass, but holly shit parking's cheap (for students) at Carleton!!
http://www.carleton.ca/parking/stude...-permit-rates/
Still, if I came from out of town, I would rather take the train and save on car expenses. It's more of a metro system, which has less of a stigma than buses.
I do agree that if your a "mature" student, or any student for that matter, you would not want to be paying more than on campus residence for the same tiny shared apartment.
As for the parking lot, it will be temporary until the second tower is built down the line.
SoHo Champagne residents, just like any other condo tower resident not facing protected Federal or NCC land, should have know that this day would come.
And finally, Boxster's right about the overcrowded station. Even with the added capacity, the Trillium line, especially the Bayview-Carleton stretch, will be
wa-hay overcapacity within 10 years. They'll have to convert to full fledged metro faster than they think.