Google Adds Real-Time Tube Information To Maps

Google has added real time service information for the London Undergound network to Google Maps ahead of the Olympic Games this summer.

Passengers will be able to see any disruptions when planning their journey, along with any planned engineering works.

Controlled chaos

To see the information, users simply click on any station on the network on a map, in a timetable or in the public transport directions results.

To see any planned engineering works that may be happening at the weekend, users must change the departure time in the ‘get directions’ tab, removing the possibility of any nasty surprises on the day of travel.

These new features are available on both the desktop and mobile versions of Google Maps, as well as the Android application.

Google integrated London’s public transport information into Google Maps last year, and they will come in useful for those who choose not to work at home during this summer’s Olympics and confront the predicted transport chaos on London’s transport network. TfL hopes to avert this threat by releasing data on predicted traffic hotspots on the tube, London Overground and DLR to application developers.

To encourage foreign Olympic visitors to explore more of the UK when they visit, Google has also added train route and timetable information for more than 2,500 railway stations and 170,000 routes.

Passengers will be able to view the status updates at any of the 120 Underground stations that Virgin Media will install Wi-Fi at after winning a contract last month, 80 of which are expected to be ready by July. The information will also be accessible at any of the 56 London Overground stations after a separate deal was struck with The Cloud to provide free Wi-Fi to the network.

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