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Zone 1 rail and Tube station complex in West London.

Tubewise, it's served by the District, Circle, Hammersmith & City, and Bakerloo lines. It's also a major rail terminus for services including the Great Western Main Line, and it serves Heathrow Airport via TfL Rail and the Heathrow Express.

Following the Circle Line service pattern change of December 2009, Circle Line trains now use two sets of platforms at Paddington, depending on whether they're running on the "loop" or "tail" part of the line. Trains running on the loop section use the Praed Street platforms, while those running to/from the tail share track with the Hammersmith & City Line, and hence use the Bishop's Road platforms.

Note that this means if you're travelling eastbound on the Circle Line, you want the Bishop's Road platforms, since Circle Line trains leaving eastbound from the Praed Street platforms will terminate at the next station, Edgware Road. The Bishop's Road platforms are a fair distance away from the platforms on the other lines, to the extent that Tube maps generally show them as a separate station.

The concourse includes a glassed-off area known as The Lawn; this contains a number of eating places including a Yo Sushi branch and a rather good pub (for a pub-inna-station, that is), the Mad Bishop and Bear.

See also:

• Station information from National Rail
• Wikipedia entry