Rail off the map on Google

This is from Rail Magazine issue 591 (7-20 May 2008) and is by Christian Woolmar.

"The absence of railway stations on Google maps, about which 1 wrote in RAIL 587, has more ramifications than I first realised. It is not only the fact that the Google maps do not show stations, but they also ignore the possibility of rail travel.

Try using the direction finder on Google maps to go, say, between Leicester and Loughborough - one stop on the train. The map defaults to car usage, of course, but then click on the 'use public transit' (it's American, remember) and you get... directions for buses. The bus information is in fact excellent - it will tell you when the next bus is leaving and explain how to walk to the right stop, giving estimated timings. There are links to the local bus operators but a complete absence of any information about train travel. It is as if the railways did not exist.

Following my previous item on this, Chris Scoggins, the head of the National Rail Enquiry Service, emailed to tell me that people can get detailed information on Google maps provided they put in a station name in the search engine. He was missing the point. The maps do not show stations unless specifically requested and therefore people might be totally unaware that there was one right next to their proposed destination.

From other responses I have had, it is clear that it is up to the railway organisations - ATOC and Network Rail - to ensure that the information is included on Google maps. Other maps apparently have better information but, of course, Google, as the best search engine, is the most used and therefore the railways are losing out on lots of potential customers. Chris Scoggins assures me that he is in touch with Google maps over this issue and will come back with progress reports. I await them eagerly."