Forum Topic

Paddington station layout

Paddington station is really not very accessible for those of us living in West London!  If you travel on the Circle/Hammersmith and City lines westbound across London you arrive at the far end of the station and have to walk along the taxi rank to see the arrivals boards and access the station.  From there it is impossible to reach platform 11 in the 2 minutes you are sometimes given to reach a train as the straightforward access to the platform has been blocked. You have to go all the way to the front of the station and then walk back all the way you have come back up the platform to reach the trains.  Not within 2 minutes!It is hard to know how to get to your platform once a train has been indicated on a screen by the taxi rank (where you arrive from the westbound Hammersmith and City and Circle lines). There are several entrances to the station there which are not well labelled to tell you which platforms are accessed from each.  There is no overall plan to refer to showing you what the layout is and how to get around.  Especially there is no indication of all the entrances to the Underground, which is complex there as they lead to different lines or different directions of travel.  There are two entrances to the Bakerloo line (also communicates via tunnel with the Hammersmith and City, and Circle lines East bound.  There is an entrance to the Hammersmith and City East line right at the front of the station, but the Hammersmith and City and Circle lines Westbound is right at the far end of the station on the West side on the upper level.  If you need to attend St Mary's hospital you have to walk all the way to the front of the station, and then double back and walk the whole length of the station again on the road outside.  Needless to say, people attending hospitals are not the young and fit.  There is perfectly good access to the hospital's road from the taxi rank, but that has been blocked off for no logical reason.What is more I very much fear that when Crossrail comes in the entrance to Crossrail will be from the East side of the station, and I suspect the track and trains will be on the far West side of the station.  Will people arriving on the West side of the station (eg on the Hammersmith and City, Circle line Westbound from Kings Cross etc)have to cross the entire station to get to the entrance to Crossrail and then back again to get on a train?Finally, I am concerned that Ealing Broadway station is going to become even more hectic, and already the situation on Platform 3 is quite frightening at times.  People belt down the single narrow stairway to catch a train,  in serious danger of taking a tumble down the stairs and taking others with them.  One would expect when Crossrail comes that the stairwells will be doubled in capacity at least, or there will be accidents.Design of public transport should take account of the fact that many travellers are not young fit and able to cope and consider those burdened with shopping, luggage, children, disability, age, illnesses. Will the arrangements at Ealing Broadway station adequately address the needs of the less agile or travellers burdened with luggage, shopping, children, wheelchairs, other disabilities?

Barbara Dore ● 2992d18 Comments

It's not much fun getting on a bus with a suitcase especially if you are elderly.

Philippa Bond ● 2982d

One of the great things about living in Ealing is how much choice we have about public transport.  From where I live I can usually work out at least 2 ways, if not 3, to get to anywhere in central London.We are near the Piccadilly line from Boston Manor, mainline rail from Brentford and can also easily access tube and mainline rail from Ealing Broadway.There must also be more buses on the Uxbridge Road than almost anywhere else in West London - I've never had to wait more than 5 minutes for one.

Thelma Leach ● 2983d

My sister now comes by train from the west and changes at Reading and takes the local train to EB.  Just as quick and a much lower fare.Reading is now a really good interchange.I could not believe she only ever used the Underground and went from Paddington to Hammersmith Met stn and then caught the Piccadilly to South Ealing and did not know about the quicker route via EB and a 65.  It's only taken her 30 years to find out!!

Mark Kehoe ● 2983d

We've always used the Piccadilly and then Hammersmith & City line too but we haven't for quite a while, the last time we did there was a lot of building work going on at Paddington...  but when going down to the West Country we tended to try and go straight from Ealing Broadway to avoid the crush at Paddington.  Reading has had a lot of building work done and is much better now.

Philippa Bond ● 2985d

Of course people from Ealing, Northfields and South Ealing use the Hammersmith and City line.We've used this route for generations despite being near to South Ealing Stn/It is far quicker to Baker St, Gt Portland St, Kings Cross or Farringdon or to go North by taking the GWR to Paddington and pick up the H&C  It used to be Circle as well but now involves a platform change at Edgware Rd. But this has improved capacity and frequency from the H&C platformThis is a far quicker route than the Piccadilly line to Kings Cross often by 15 mins.But the convoluted and large amount of walking at Paddington has made this a less attractive route.

Mark Kehoe ● 2985d

When you get to the white metal bridge to which you refer, go straight on, down a cobbled path. This will take you to South Wharf Road. Trust me - I work in Sheldon Square, just a wee bit further up the canal towards Little Venice.

Alex Weel ● 2987d

I live close to Acton Main Line and take the train to Paddington every Wednesday. Since January all the trains have eight carriages and arrive to platform 11, so much closer to the exit for St. Mary's  People travelling from Ealing don't use the Hammersmith & City line. My suggestion to residents of South Ealing/ Northfields is that rather than take the nearest Tube they go to Ealing Broadway for the train . Fast and convenient if you don't like steps.

Maire Lowe ● 2987d

Trains to Paddington from Ealing Broadway use platforms 9-13 depending on the origin of the london bound train.If it is the Heathrow local train it is usually into the platform nearest the main area of the station.GWR trains can range from 2 cars to 8 depending on which train.And in any case there are two entrances to 2 underground stations.  One for the Circle and Bakerloo and one for the Hammersmith and City and Hammersmith Spur of the circle.It's the interchange with the H&C that is the problem.What to you mean by these living in South Ealing/Northfields taking a bus to the broadway first? What other way is there ? Other than walking?

Mark Kehoe ● 2988d

Is it easier to get to the West country now by avoiding having to go into Paddington?It always seemed to be so difficult and illogical to go in in order to get a train to come out through Ealing again.There are always a lot of people with suitcases and those trailing ones are a nightmare when it is crowded.  Also some people rush past and don't seem to realise that their suitcases are wider than they are and overtake without allowing enough space.

Philippa Bond ● 2988d

I completely agree about the lack of signposting for Saint Mary's and will raise the issue with the quality steering group of which I am a member.However the best way to get to Paddington these days is on the direct train from Ealing Broadway which now arrives on platform 11 almost opposite the entrance to the underground and has eight carriages. Perhaps folk living in South Ealing/Northfields might look into taking a bus to the Broadway first?

Maire Lowe ● 2988d

About reaching St Mary's by walking along the canalside from the Underground station (far to the back of the mainline station at end of platforms 13/14)the canalside walk is not signposted to the hospital road, the signposted access leads you instead to cross a bridge over the canal into a maze of buildings with no further indications on how to reach the hospital.  In fact you have to cross the canal again if you have followed the signs that far, and then there is no obvious access to the hospital except via the ambulance ramp.  I know, I did it - and I only knew roughly what to do as I used to work in Mary's so understood the general layout.

Barbara Dore ● 2989d

Not sure the last time you did this (and yes, I know what you're talking about as I've done it in the past)but I couldn't do this yesterday.

Terry Freestone ● 2990d

I completely agree with you about the layout issues, but in response to your point about St Mary's, you can actually avoid having to walk to the front of the station by walking alongside Paddington Basin ˜˜- parallel to the taxi rank - to South Wharf Road and then take a left.

Alex Weel ● 2990d

Some years ago my husband and I found our way to what we thought was the train to Acton Mainline, we followed the signs, so can you imagine our surprise to find ourselves on a fast train - the next stop was SLOUGH!!!This was in winter with snow on the ground, not the kind of detour one would expect. The sign was misleading and the long walk to get to the train is unacceptable, especially if one is disabled.

Jean F Fernandez ● 2990d

Hard to disagree with the overall opinions of this thread about the general layout of the station but it is possible, after alighting from an Ealing train, to walk towards the back end of the platform, up stairs, and crossover to the concourse that leads to the tube lines.  Unfortunately a little more convoluted than a few years ago when the bridge took you directly to the tube platforms. But if nothing else it cuts out the section with the taxi ranks and queues.

Philip Coe ● 2990d

It's so true, I'm glad it's not just me that finds using Paddington such a palaver.What used to be a transfer from GWR to the H&C/Circle of just a short distance ( albeit stairs and a bit slow when crowded) is now sometimes over 800m ( and still often slow and overcrowded)You have to battle the quiet for taxis, the long distance travellers with bags and it is nothing short of dreadful.All that money and high end civil engineering and it is worse than it was and the bad bits remain unaddressed.The design is truly awful. Given the size of the new Underground ticket hall, the fact that designers could not manage to incorporate the old bridge link into the hall and have created blind corners and bottlenecks is a poor reflection on their abilities.  Too arrogant to accept it is a mess.I went to a Transport design seminar that delighted in it's supreme transformation, along with the wonderful new trains in the Underground.Needless to say, they would not answer or take criticism during the Q&A especially when a woman pointed out that only people over 5'11 can reach the grab rails on the new trains and thus made it very difficult for anyone below that height to stand safely, especially when the seating has been reduced substantially.  It is also why so few move down the trains and clog up the doorways.No-one ever really asks the users. Just stupid faux consultations with loaded questions.It's all too sycophantic, no-one on the inside dares question matters. even the Transport media shy away from highlighting the poor user design of both infrastructure and rolling stock, choosing to coo over the shiny bits.I was amazed to hear that "No one has complained so far"  and it will be different when Crossrail opens.Well I've not seen any information showing what it might be eventually or any acknowledgement that fails from a passenger point of view.But it is an assault course and not user friendly.People need to write and complain.

Mark Kehoe ● 2991d

I regulary go via paddington onto hammersmith and city/circle line to get to the city.I think of it as the Paddington assault course.Up down, up down..

Paul James ● 2991d

That is without the"Cube" that has apparently been given planning permission to almost block access to the hospital.

Christopher Bell ● 2991d