Paddington tube station (Circle and Hammersmith & City lines)

Paddington is a London Underground station served by the Circle and Hammersmith & City lines. It is located adjacent to the north side of Paddington mainline station and has entrances from within the mainline station and from Paddington Basin. The station is between Royal Oak and Edgware Road and is in London Fare Zone 1.

Paddington London Underground
Entrance from Paddington Basin
Paddington is located in Central London
Paddington
Paddington
Location of Paddington in Central London
LocationPaddington
Local authorityCity of Westminster
Managed byLondon Underground
Number of platforms2[1]
AccessibleYes[2]
Fare zone1
OSIPaddington National Rail Elizabeth line Heathrow Express
Paddington Bakerloo, Circle and District line station London Underground[3]
London Underground annual entry and exit
2018Decrease 44.60 million[4]
2019Increase 48.61 million[5]
2020Decrease 11.42 million[6]
2021Increase 20.44 million[7]
2022Increase 46.65 million[8]
Key dates
10 January 1863Opened (as terminus)
13 June 1864Extension (to Hammersmith)
1 August 1872Started ("Middle Circle")
31 January 1905Ended ("Middle Circle")
30 July 1990Started (Hammersmith & City)
13 December 2009Started (Circle line to Hammersmith)
Other information
External links
WGS8451°31′07″N 0°10′43″W / 51.5186°N 0.1785°W / 51.5186; -0.1785
 London transport portal

The station is one of two separate Underground stations of the same name. The other station, on Praed Street to the south of the mainline station, is served by the Bakerloo, Circle and District lines. Although shown on the London Underground map as a single station,[9] the two stations are not directly linked and interchange between them is via the concourse of the mainline station.

History edit

Metropolitan Railway edit

Exterior, 1862
Metropolitan Railway station between Paddington GWR passenger and goods stations, 1874

The station was opened as Paddington (Bishop's Road) by the Metropolitan Railway (MR, later the Metropolitan line) on 10 January 1863 as the western terminus of the world's first underground railway.[10][n 1] The station building was located on the road bridge carrying Bishop's Road (now Bishop's Bridge Road) over the mainline tracks of the Great Western Railway (GWR).[n 2] Services were initially operated with rolling stock provided by the GWR,[13] and the MR route to Farringdon was laid with dual-gauge track for both broad-gauge and standard-gauge trains.[14][n 3]

On 9 May 1864, the boiler exploded on the engine of a train about to leave the station eastbound.[n 4] The driver and fireman, a member of staff on the platform and a passenger on a train arriving from the east were injured. The explosion threw fragments of the boiler up to 404 feet (123 m) away. The canopy and end screen of the station's roof, the side wall of the platform stairs and the carriage of the arriving train were all damaged.[16]

On 13 June 1864, GWR services were extended westward when the Hammersmith & City Railway (H&CR) opened to Hammersmith.[10][17][n 5] MR services began operating to Hammersmith in 1865.[18] Initially, trains ran for about 1 mile (1.6 km) on the GWR's mainline tracks between Paddington and the start of the Hammersmith branch,[17] but delays on the mainline section led to a separate pair of parallel tracks for the Hammersmith service being constructed. These opened on 30 October 1871.[17]

On 1 October 1868, the MR opened a south-west facing junction (Praed Street junction) approximately 350 yards (320 m) west of Edgware Road for a new branch to Gloucester Road.[10][1][n 6] MR trains to Gloucester Road served a separate station named Paddington (Praed Street) south of the main-line station.[10] Paddington (Bishop's Road) station was given its current name on 10 September 1933.[10]

From 1 August 1872, the '"Middle Circle"' service also began operations through the station running from Moorgate then over the Hammersmith branch to Latimer Road then, via a now demolished link, to the West London Line to Addison Road and the District Railway (DR, later the District line) to Mansion House.[19] The service was operated jointly by the GWR and the DR. The service ended on 31 January 1905.[20]

Until 1990, services through the station were shown on maps as part of the MR and, later the Metropolitan line. They were separately identified as the Hammersmith & City line in 1990.[10]

Circle line edit

 
Entrance from the mainline station

In December 2009, Circle line services began serving the station. Originally operating as a loop-line using tracks constructed by the MR and the DR and serving only the station in Praed Street, the Circle line's route was altered to include the Hammersmith branch to increase train frequency on the branch and improve the regularity of Circle line trains. Trains run in a spiral anti-clockwise from Edgware Road around the loop, back to Edgware Road and then on to the Hammersmith branch.[21][n 7]

The station was rebuilt during 2012 and 2013 to provide longer platforms, improved access and connections to the mainline station. A new entrance to Paddington Basin was opened.[23]

Accidents and incidents edit

On 9 May 1864, the boiler of a Great Northern Railway 0-6-0 locomotive exploded as it was leaving Bishops Road. Two people were seriously injured and the resulting debris landed up to 250 yards (230 m) away, and a section of the main station roof was dented.[24]

Services edit

The station is in London Fare Zone 1 between Royal Oak and Edgware Road stations. Train frequencies vary throughout the day, but, generally, Hammersmith & City line trains operate every 10 minutes from approximately 04:50 to 00:42 eastbound and 05:22 to 00:53 westbound; they are supplemented by Circle line trains every 10 minutes from approximately 04:58 to 23:43 eastbound and 06:40 to 00:45 westbound.[25] Both lines use the same tracks.[1]

Preceding station   London Underground Following station
Royal Oak
towards Hammersmith
Circle line
Edgware Road
towards Edgware Road via Aldgate
Hammersmith & City line Edgware Road
towards Barking
Former services
Royal Oak
towards Hammersmith
Metropolitan line
Hammersmith branch (1864–1990)
Edgware Road
towards Barking

Connections edit

London Buses routes serve Bishop's Bridge Road, north of the station. Other bus routes serve the station in Praed Street.[26]

Notes and references edit

Notes edit

  1. ^ The Metropolitan Railway ran mostly in shallow tunnels constructed using the cut-and-cover technique under existing roads. Some sections of the trench were left un-roofed for ventilation. Some station platforms were below ground level within the roofed sections of tunnel but others, such as Paddington (Bishop's Road) had glazed roofs.[11]
  2. ^ The Metropolitan Railway's chief engineer was John Fowler.[12]
  3. ^ A falling out between the managers of the GWR and MR led to the GWR withdrawing its trains from the MR's use in August 1863,[13] though it continued to operate its own suburban services over the MR's tracks.[15] The MR hired standard gauge rolling stock from the Great Northern Railway and London & North Western Railway whilst it had its own constructed.[13]
  4. ^ The engine was one of those hired from the Great Northern Railway following the Metropolitan Railway's dispute with the Great Western Railway.
  5. ^ The Hammersmith & City Railway was promoted jointly by the GWR and MR, but established as a separate company. It was jointly controlled by the two companies from 1 July 1865.[17]
  6. ^ The branch to Gloucester Road met the District Railway there and, with later extensions of both lines towards the City of London eventually formed the Inner Circle (now the Circle line).[10]
  7. ^ Although the two Paddington Underground stations are only about 400 metres (440 yd) apart geographically, the distance by rail on the Circle line without changing trains is 20.84 kilometres (12.95 mi) around almost the whole of the line's loop section.[22]

References edit

  1. ^ a b c "Circle Line, Topology". Clive's Underground Line Guides. Retrieved 25 February 2017.
  2. ^ "Step free Tube Guide" (PDF). Transport for London. April 2021. Archived (PDF) from the original on 15 May 2021.
  3. ^ "Out of Station Interchanges" (XLSX). Transport for London. 16 June 2020. Retrieved 5 November 2020.
  4. ^ "Station Usage Data" (CSV). Usage Statistics for London Stations, 2018. Transport for London. 23 September 2020. Archived from the original on 14 January 2023. Retrieved 11 October 2023.
  5. ^ "Station Usage Data" (XLSX). Usage Statistics for London Stations, 2019. Transport for London. 23 September 2020. Archived from the original on 9 November 2020. Retrieved 9 November 2020.
  6. ^ "Station Usage Data" (XLSX). Usage Statistics for London Stations, 2020. Transport for London. 16 April 2021. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
  7. ^ "Station Usage Data" (XLSX). Usage Statistics for London Stations, 2021. Transport for London. 12 July 2022. Retrieved 7 September 2022.
  8. ^ "Station Usage Data" (XLSX). Usage Statistics for London Stations, 2022. Transport for London. 4 October 2023. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
  9. ^ Standard Tube Map (PDF) (Map). Not to scale. Transport for London. November 2022. Archived (PDF) from the original on 7 November 2022. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
  10. ^ a b c d e f g Rose 1999.
  11. ^ Walford 1878.
  12. ^ Wolmar 2005, p. 32.
  13. ^ a b c Day & Reed 2010, p. 14.
  14. ^ Day & Reed 2010, p. 10.
  15. ^ Wolmar 2005, p. 60.
  16. ^ H.W. Tyler (29 June 1864). "Extract for the Accident at Bishops Road on 9th May 1864" (PDF). Retrieved 14 December 2019.
  17. ^ a b c d Day & Reed 2010, p. 16.
  18. ^ Jackson 1986, pp. 39–40.
  19. ^ Bruce 1983, p. 11.
  20. ^ Lee 1956, p. 29.
  21. ^ "Services on London Underground's Circle line to be extended to Hammersmith". Transport for London. 5 March 2009. Retrieved 25 February 2017.
  22. ^ Rail distance calculated from kilometerage data at "Circle Line, Toplogy". Clive's Underground Line Guides. Retrieved 25 February 2017.
  23. ^ "Paddington station works completed ahead of schedule". Transport for London. 23 December 2013. Retrieved 25 February 2017.
  24. ^ Jackson 1984, p. 330.
  25. ^ "Timetables". Transport for London. Retrieved 26 February 2017.
  26. ^ "Buses from Paddington" (PDF). Transport for London. 19 November 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 March 2017. Retrieved 26 February 2017.

Bibliography edit

  • Bruce, J Graeme (1983). Steam to Silver. A history of London Transport Surface Rolling Stock. Capital Transport. ISBN 0-904711-45-5.
  • Day, John R.; Reed, John (2010) [1963]. The Story of London's Underground (11th ed.). Capital Transport. ISBN 978-1-85414-341-9.
  • Jackson, Alan (1984) [1969]. London's Termini (New Revised ed.). London: David & Charles. ISBN 0-330-02747-6.
  • Jackson, Alan (1986). London's Metropolitan Railway. David & Charles. ISBN 0-7153-8839-8.
  • Lee, Charles E. (1956). The Metropolitan District Railway. The Oakwood Press. ASIN B0000CJGHS.
  • Rose, Douglas (1999) [1980]. The London Underground, A Diagrammatic History. Douglas Rose/Capital Transport. ISBN 1-85414-219-4.
  • Walford, Edward (1878). "XVIII". Underground London: Its railways, subways and sewers. Vol. 5. Cassell, Petter & Galpin. Retrieved 18 August 2017 – via British History Online. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  • Wolmar, Christian (2005) [2004]. The Subterranean Railway: How the London Underground Was Built and How It Changed the City Forever. Atlantic Books. ISBN 978-1-84354-023-6.

External links edit