As of the 2023–24 Office of Rail & Road Statistics, it is the second busiest station in the United Kingdom, after London Liverpool Street, with 66.9 million entries and exits.

Despite the numerous upgrades and rebuilding, plus damage sustained in particular during World War II, Brunel's original design is still recognisable.

Until recently there was little office accommodation in the area, and most commuters interchanged between National Rail and the London Underground to reach workplaces in the West End or the City.

However, recent redevelopment of derelict railway and canal land, marketed as Paddington Waterside, has resulted in new office complexes nearby.

Parts of the station, including the main train shed, date from 1854, when it was built by Isambard Kingdom Brunel as the London terminus for the Great Western Railway (GWR).

[18] This received government approval in 1835, but was rejected as a long-term solution by Brunel as he was concerned it would also allow Liverpool to compete as a port with Bristol if the railway from Birmingham was extended.

[33] In 1911, work began to separate light and empty carriage traffic from running trains between Paddington to Old Oak Common, which involved the rebuilding of Westbourne Park station.

The bronze memorial, depicting a soldier reading a letter, was sculpted by Charles Sargeant Jagger and stands on platform 1.

[36] Suburban services, which had never been considered important at Paddington, were increased as new housing estates in the Home Counties started being built.

On 17 April 1941, the departure side of the station was hit by a parachute mine, while on 22 March 1944, the roof between platforms 6 and 7 was destroyed by two 500-pound (230 kg) bombs.

[41] Passenger traffic greatly increased through Paddington during the war, partly by evacuation to the relatively quiet Thames Valley, and because holidaymakers chose to travel west as large areas of the south and east coasts had been taken over for military purposes.

On 29 July 1944, the station was closed for three hours because the platforms were saturated with passenger traffic, while on the subsequent August bank holiday, crowds were controlled in tight queues along Eastbourne Terrace by mounted police.

Between 1959 and 1961, suburban services switched to diesel multiple units, while the last regular long-distance steam train left Paddington on 11 June 1965.

[50] In the mid 1990s, the Great Western Main Line approaches and platforms were electrified as part of the Heathrow Express project.

From 1999 until 2003, Express Baggage check-in facilities for airline passengers were provided in the Lawn, however these were progressively replaced by retail units.

[52] The station's fourth span was renovated in 2010, involving repair and restoration of the original glazed roof, so that platforms 9 to 12 can once more enjoy daylight.

[54] Network Rail originally planned to demolish Span 4 and build an office block over it, which was successfully contested by Save Britain's Heritage.

[67] Flight information display screens for airline passengers are provided at the Heathrow Express ticket office near these platforms.

[69][70] Paddington is the terminus for suburban trains to West London, Thames Valley, Reading, and Didcot, operated by Great Western Railway.

[71] The general off peak service pattern in trains per hour (tph) is: Great Western Railway Elizabeth line (operates from underground Elizabeth line platforms, A and B) Heathrow Express Until May 2003, Paddington was part of the Virgin CrossCountry network with services to the North of England and Scotland via Oxford and Birmingham New Street.

[73][74] Until December 2018, Chiltern Railways operated a weekday parliamentary service from South Ruislip and to High Wycombe via the Acton–Northolt line.

[80] On 23 November 1983, a sleeper train hauled by Class 50 locomotive 50 041 Bulwark was derailed on the approach to Paddington after speeding through a crossover.

On 5 October 1999, a Thames Train stopping service from Paddington to Bedwyn passed a red signal and collided with a Great Western express travelling in the opposite direction.

[84][85] On 25 May 2014, the middle coach of an empty stock Class 360 electric multiple unit 360 205 derailed as it entered platform 3, due to maintenance errors.

[86] On 16 June 2016, a Class 165 diesel multiple unit 165 124 passed a signal at danger and derailed in a siding, causing significant disruption to services and damage to infrastructure.

[88] The GWR was aware that Paddington was some distance from the centre of London, and in 1854 donated £175,000 (£20,748,000 as of 2023) to the North Metropolitan Railway in order that the station could have a link to the City.

[2] As part of the Crossrail project, a new underground station was constructed on the site of the former taxi rank in Departures Road.

In the books, by Michael Bond, he is found at the station, having come from "deepest, darkest Peru" and with a note attached to his coat reading "please look after this bear, thank you".

[27] The band Supertramp used Paddington station to record the train sounds featured in the song "Rudy" on the 1974 album Crime of the Century.

[116] In 1997, Railtrack unsuccessfully tried to evict the band, citing a lack of space while the station was redeveloped to accommodate Heathrow Express services.