Great Western Coffee Shop

Works soon to start on this big development which will have a very positive impact on one of the dingiest parts of Paddington station, namely the concourse area by the high numbered platforms, the entrance to the Bakerloo Line and the ramp up to Praed Street.  The video below gives some CGI of what to expect from the public areas of the development - a massive improvement.

https://vimeo.com/266852286

Of most interest to users of the station will be the first minute or so of that video clip.  How different does it look with that great big retaining wall gone?!  With the Crossrail station and Eastbourne Terrace part of the station set to open next year, the whole station will have had a massive make-over in the last few years.

It's an improvement without question although I know I will have a tiny bit of nostalgia for the old Praed Street ramp.


Edit:  It does rather rub Temple Meads nose in the dirt though.

Arrgh !  I switched off after 9 seconds - when " Paddington Train Station" appeared on the screen !

Yes agree, its a RAILWAY station.

Or perhaps a shopping centre that is rail served.

Like Birmingham Grand Central New Street

I assume that the major remodelling works are after the Crossrail passages to the Bakerloo platforms are opened as the whole of the current Bakerloo top hall will be eviscerated. Nice if there were new openings onto the ends of platforms 10 and 11. Bit of a dark tight corner at present.

Wow, that's going to be quite a change, but at least quite sensitive to the station rather than the air rights scheme that Railtrack/NR had in mind a few years ago.

As for Bristol Temple Meads, I think the most charitable thing that can be said is that the "benign neglect" of the last few decades means that it has been largely untouched by the worst excesses of the last four decades, and so perhaps something very nice can be done. Just need to get the signal box out of the way :-) 

It's coming to the time when other major UK cities will look at their modernized main railway stations, then at Temple Meads and then point and laugh/wonder what Bristol did to upset someone.

But where will all the smokers go  ;D

I hope they have done a Wind assessment (no, not that kind of wind), as its going to blow very hard and wet through the opening, and they have taken all the shelter positions away...... ::) :P

Everyone is Bristol is too busy smoking waccy baccy to get around to anything more like ;-)

More seriously, I had to warn a colleague from Dubai that she was probably going to be shocked by the litter, graffiti and homeless people when she visits next week, but not to worry, as it was all mostly harmless.

It would be good if the Paddington Square developers could make provision for bus stops and bus/rail interchange.  The existing bus stops are on narrow pavements with no lay-bys which makes things difficult for those waiting for buses, pedestrians trying to walk past the bus stops, and traffic behind the buses.

However, it looks like Praed Street itself is largely excluded from the development and will retain its own particular  ….character. 

That, of course, is TfL's business. But the Paddington Square plans do provide a lot of ground-floor walking-about space. There is some Praed Street frontage (a newish row of offices and shops between the Mercure Hotel and a scruffy bit of St Mary's), which has already come down, and is only partly being replaced. The "public realm" pitch make this area of (in effect) much wider pavement the main walking route from the Bakerloo-side Underground and main line stations to the buses.

You can of course always go and look for yourself in the planning documents (https://idoxpa.westminster.gov.uk/online-applications/pagedSearchResults.do?action=page&searchCriteria.page=3), though just one little warning ... on the main application (September 2016) there's a link that says "There are 593 documents associated with this application." And then there's the amendments, variations, the mayor's interventions...

Presentation on this at the Stakeholder's event in Paddington yesterday - looks very impressive (presentation, of course, designed to make a very positive show) and I look forward to it - but a note that Garfunkel's is still on the corner, and pride from the presenter in saying "and you can still use Garfunkel's.

With Praed Street closed at the moment, buses are on diversion and my 205 with destination "Paddington" didn't actually call anywhere near Paddington - drove past the corner, up beside the cross rail construction and the first opportunity to get off was Clarence Place.  No way across the Crossrail building site into Paddington, so a walk back, round the hotel and down the ramp into the station.  Slightly off topic as this is (or at least started) the other side of Paddington - I just look forward to when it's all completed.   And, yes, we could do with decent bus stops in front of the station!

"205 with destination "Paddington" didn't actually call anywhere near Paddington"
Paddington was a borough, is still an area and not just a station.

Wow - another dose of nostalgia for yours truly. Back in the early- and mid 1980s I worked in the City, commuting daily from Tilehurst. As a result of a combination of circumstances I found myself in my late 20s running quite a large project for my then firm, catching an early HST service from Tilehurst and often returning on a late train from Paddington (yes - sometimes even breaking the "set down only" rule on the Night Riviera at Reading). Garfunkels was often where I had my evening meal on the way home. I did not even know it was still there!

In those days Paddington late in the evening was a hive of interesting activity - newspaper trains and travelling post office trains, with destinations all over Great Britain chalked on the outside and (if you glanced inside) on the sorting pigeon holes. I am pretty certain I remember "Kyle of Lochalsh" on one (but after 35 years the memory may be playing tricks!)

Welcome to the form, KenB.

You have me there.  "The 205 with destination which I am familiar with to get to the main line railway station there didn't actually call ...."

It's a classic illustration where the established norm changes, and catches out a regular user / assumer.  I'm hoping we don't see too many assumptions come the timetable change in December, such as "All eastbound trains from Chippenham will call at Swindon".

From Network Rail - https://www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk/news/travel-safer-and-quicker-at-paddington-station-as-new-entranceexit-opens on 16th July


The 205 bus is still missing out the front of Paddington so thank goodness the station now has a gap in what looked like defensive barrier on the South West side!    Clearly of more use than just to people using the 205!

"New" access!? This is just going back to where things were before the access to Eastbourne Terrace was closed obliging everyone to use the Praed Street access. 

You get a good look at the new Crossrail section of the station from it - unfinished still, but looking impressive.  Presumably (re)opening it paves the way to temporarily close the Praed Street ramp exit/entrance for redevelopment?  The first section of wall has now been demolished.

The dictionary has multiple definitions of new:

produced, introduced, or discovered recently or now for the first time; not existing before.
"the new Madonna album"

already existing but seen, experienced, or acquired recently or now for the first time.
"the new Isle of Wight trains"

beginning anew and in a transformed way.
"the new capacity of a double decker bus is ..."

I am glad that is open now as it makes the walk to Lancaster Gate station a little quicker and less congested.  Always go that way to get to Stratford and the way Crossrail is going I'll be doing it for some time.

The ramp up to Praed Street now looks quite different with the big brick wall gone.

Still the welcoming committee of smokers by the look of it. That really does make that entrance rather unpleasant in contrast to all the beautiful people (and glorious weather!) in the promotional video.

Yes, but presumably when the area is opened out later in the development the smokers will be able to spread out much more?