Google Maps features cross-rail alerts

As shared by Redditor on the / r / GoogleMaps subreddit, Google seems to be adding cross-rail alerts. The notice, which appears near railroads, warns drivers of potential delays, but also warns drivers of potential safety hazards.

The same feature was added to Google’s traffic and navigation app in 2020, which relies on the Waze map editors community to add alerts. A few Redditors pointed out that Waze has become a beta search and development app for Google Maps, as Google Maps has added other Waze features to its platform. Google first announced the addition of this feature in 2015.

For years, safety agencies and rail authorities have been working to incorporate rail warnings into GPS systems and mapping apps. Safety groups have argued that drivers can be confused about where and when to stop near railroad tracks.

In 2016, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) recommended that technology and delivery apps put the exact locations of more than 200,000 cross-sections in digital maps. The Federal Railway Administration (FRA) was also lobbying technology companies to issue alerts for level routes, notifying technology companies to include the information in their mapping applications. Until Google introduced the data, major technology companies have heeded this request.

They have pushed these warnings as a way to remind drivers of these dangers, as the latest FRA data shows that 2,229 accidents occurred in 2019 at public and private routes, reports on 297 deaths.