British Transport Police engaged in Operation Servator were at the busy terminus on April 16, 2018 checking passengers as they came through the fare barriers.
Nithusan Gobinathan, 22, of Harries Road, Hayes, west London had the twelve-inch axe in his rucksack without the protective blade cover.
He was convicted at Blackfriars Crown Court of possessing an offensive weapon and was sentenced to seven months imprisonment.
Gobinathan noticed the considerable police presence and caught the attention of plain clothed officers, who stopped to speak to him.
After raising the suspicion of officers he was stopped and searched, and the axe was found in his rucksack.
Project Servator Inspector Pete Day said: “There’s absolutely no excuse to be carrying offensive weapons on the railway, and thankfully, Gobinathan will now have time to think about his choices in prison.
“Gobinathan tried to claim that he’d bought the axe to carry out garden work, so I’m pleased the jury saw straight through this and that he was handed a custodial sentence.
“We are specially trained in spotting individuals like him who would rather avoid us, and we carry out high visibility Project Servator patrols like this every day, up and down the country.
“Don’t be alarmed if you do see us, we’re there to keep you safe and make sure the railway is a difficult place for people like Gobinathan to operate.
“You can help us by keeping an eye out for anything or anyone suspicious and texting us discreetly on 61016.”
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