New accessible tube ticket hall opens at Paddington

The new ticket hall at Paddington London Underground station which serves the Bakerloo line is now open.

It provides passengers with direct, step-free access from street to platform on the Bakerloo line for the first time, via two lifts.

The new ticket hall is part of the Paddington Square development and sits below an 18-storey crystalline building in the shape of a geometric cube, at the centre of a new 1.35-acre public piazza.

The new entrance is more than three times the size of the previous Bakerloo line ticket hall and the number of ticket gates has more than doubled from 5 to 11.

The new entrance will also make it much more convenient for passengers with accessibility requirements who previously used the lengthier, indirect step-free route to the Bakerloo line at Paddington Underground station, via the lifts at the Elizabeth line entrance and then the connecting passenger tunnel.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: "Bringing more step-free access to London’s transport network is a key priority, especially at busy hubs. Paddington station is one of London’s busiest stations and an historic and vital part of London’s transport infrastructure. I want everyone to be able to use it, so I’m delighted that the new ticket hall will give the Bakerloo line direct step-free access for the first time.”