You do have to take into account car parking charges - currently ^7 pd for peak times at Parkway. Given that Worcester parking is either difficult ( Shrub Hill - unless you use Wickes !) or non-existent ( Foregate Street), most people arrange to be dropped off there.   

 
To arrive in London before 10am ( which gives a fair equivalence with the example quoted in the WN), the fare from Warwick is currently ^40.  After May 17 it rises to ^50.  I was attempting to equate like with like. That is using two singles. It might be said that these are advance tickets - well yes they are but you don't even get that choice with the new FGW^▸ (First Great Western) prices

Two things come to mind:

 As the guy in the Worcester News said, the exodus to Warwick PW^▸ (Permanent Way - the railway track) will grow and grow for people who live in Worcester and the surroundings, and, secondly, that might in itself have consequences for the development of Worcester Parkway - especially the Cotswold's line part of the station.

Frankly, it is easier, quicker and cheaper to drive to Warwick   ( even allowing for the vicissitudes of the M42) and get Chiltern for people in Mid-Worcs than to suffer the service via FGW^▸ (First Great Western) to Paddington.

I agree with you. Buried away in a corner of the net is  Timetable World which has a collection of fascinating historical timetables. One of those is the Western Region from 1965 and the fastest train 50 years ago is 2 hours 30 mins. Today the fastest is 2hrs 15.  15 minutes improvement over 50 years ...


Baldwin has a point .....


http://www.timetableworld.com/

The thing is this: I have severe mobility problems and hence I tend to be left behind in any rush for seats ( Cotswolds Line ), in one case being forced to stand between Padd and Reading ( please don't make me laugh about me asking people to vacate the seats that are marked for disabled people) which with a leg prosthesis wasn't much fun. However, I frequently don't know which train I will be catching home until an hour or two before departure ( business needs etc) and I am wondering if there is any way about getting a seat reservation so close to time?

Information about Chiltern ( I sometimes go to Warwick ) as well as FGW^▸ (First Great Western) would be appreciated.

There is, however, a massive plan that will redevelop the area to the east of the station which could mean that it is economically viable to keep SH. Caveat: I have no idea the current state of the plan - this link is from a couple of years back:

http://www.worcesternews.co.uk/news/9732026.City_s_biggest_ever_revamp/

Update: http://www.ggassociates.co.uk/articles.php?artid=29&l=1#

Notice that there is a plan for a footbridge ....

http://www.ggassociates.co.uk/gallery/gallery.php?imageid=70