English: Paddington Underground Station I do wonder how many tourists get confused by scenes like this, where the Metropolitan Railway proudly announces its apparent ownership of Paddington Station in Praed Street. In the meantime most of the commuters who use the station every working day will barely notice the carving in the pediment of the façade. The reason for the inscription is that in 1868 the Metropolitan Railway opened a new branch to South Kensington, with a new station at this location called Paddington (Praed Street). It was built in a cutting across the street to the south-east of Paddington mainline station. The station was renamed to simply "Paddington" in 1948 and now serves the Circle and District Lines, while the nearest Metropolitan Line station is Baker Street, three stops away on the Circle Line. The façade itself dates from a rebuilding in the 1920s.