Paddington Railway Station, London Paddington as it is generally called is one of London’s main train stations. It serves as a Central London Train terminus since 1838 and serves as London Underground Complex since 1863 and is Travelcard Zone 1. It is the National Rail Station in London and is officially called London Paddington by people outside London. This station neighbours Marylebone and Bayswater.
Paddington station has 14 terminal platforms dedicated for different services. Platform 6 and 7 are used by Heathrow Express, platform 13 and 14 by 2 and 3 car turbo trains, platform 1 to 5 and 8 to 12 by train station services and platform 15 and 16 by the London Underground’s Hammersmith & City Circle lines. South Western platforms serve long-distance trains and the North Eastern platforms service local trains.
Paddington serves as terminus for frequent long distance trains operated by First Great Western to different destinations like Bath, Bristol, Hereford, Worcester, Newport, Cardiff…Local trains to London and the Thames Valley have their terminus at Paddington. Heathrow Express and Heathrow Connect operate between Paddington station and London Heathrow Airport. It serves as an alternate terminal for Chiltern Railways operating trains to Birmingham when Marylebone station is inaccessible.
Bakerloo, Circle, District and Hammersmith & City lines serve Paddington Station. Bakerloo Line trains operate between Elephant & Castle and Harrow & Wealdstone stations. Stations from Wimbledon to Edgware road are served by the District Line. Hammersmith & City Line services stations between Hammersmith and Barking stations. Circle Line services stations from Hammersmith to Paddington via Aldgate and Victoria.
Lancaster Gate Hotel, The Leonard Hotel, Shaftesbury Hyde Park International, Avon Hotel, Commodore Hotel, Radisson Blu Portman Hotel, Corus Hotel Hyde Park, The Montcalm, Presidential Marylebone, The Marble Arch London and The Royal Park Hotel are some of the best hotels with excellent amenities for leisure and business travelers alike near Paddington Station.
Hyde Park, Regents Canal and The Serpentine are some of the notable tourist attractions close to the station. The station is well connected to all destinations and has good transport links through buses, trains and taxis.
The station is bustling from very early to very late hours with traffic. As it is the terminus for train services to Heathrow Airport, it is a major station for transportation in London. Many tourist attractions are reachable in less than an hour and its central location offers travelers access to different activities in London.
Watching passenger movement in the station is interesting… You can give a try, provided you do not carry too many luggage with you. And, you also need to be careful when you travel with kids. Hope this article would have given you enough information about London Paddington Station!
