If you live in New York City, you will love what Google Maps has done. Google has decided to add subway updates to its NYC Google Maps. So, if a train is not running, has been closed, or isn’t on time, you will know just by looking at your Google map app. Not too long ago, Google Maps included a transit guide for the NYC area. This guide adds subway locations to a NYC Google Map and provides users with step-by-step directions to the nearest subway location. Now, armed with service updates and delay information, Google Maps users will always get where they need to go, in NYC at least.

This new update from Google is available right now. If you live in the NYC area, you should be able to access the Google transit information right away. Right now, Google hasn’t added transit information to any other city, but here’s hoping that the NYC experiment works out well enough that Google feels inclined to add other cities to the list. Not only is this Google update great news for Google Maps users, but it’s also another way for Google to get a leg up on the competition.

Google Adds Something Others Don’t Have

As any commuter knows, getting around transit strikes, maintenance, and break-downs is really difficult. If subway trains and buses were always on time, life would be so much easier. Alas, that’s not the way that cities work. Now that Google has given people a way to navigate the NYC transit system, Google Maps is ahead of the competition. Just recently, Apple announced that the company would no longer rely on Google Maps to direct iOS users, and that a new Apple Map app would be coming out relatively soon. Apple Maps will be excellent, I’m sure, but will Apple include transit information for major areas like NYC? Maybe not.

Google is making it clear that the search giant has not forgotten about projects like Google Map, and that no matter how big this company gets, all of its programs will still be updated regularly. In short, Google is showing the competition just how well this company still operates. In addition to the NYC transit information, Google Maps includes some fun hidden features that many people may not know about.

Interesting Maps Features

For one thing, it’s nearly impossible to see anything that has anything to do with North Korea on a Google Map. This shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise, since North Korea is highly guarded and is not part of the visible world. Various other parts of the planet are also blocked from Google Maps for various unknown reasons. But, Google Maps does have a lot of cool things that you can see and use. For example, it is possible to use Google Maps to create your own map. You can map out any area using the tool, and you can even post that map on your website.

Another fun Google Maps feature is that you can edit Google Maps. If you notice that something is not quite right, make sure to let Google know by entering editing information. Lastly, you can view traffic conditions depending on where you live. Just like transit updates, knowing which bridge is closed and which road is blocked during high traffic times is a useful feature.