Google's roving cameras have captured the insides of London's busiest rail hubs.
"Meet me under the Waterloo clock," is a common instruction. But what if you've never been before, or never noticed the clock? Where is it?
Problems like this can now be solved in advance thanks to the roll out of Google's Street View into many London stations. 18 of the busiest hubs are already live, with another 18 (including Waterloo) to be added in the coming weeks. The service includes Tube stations, Elizabeth line stations and some of Network Rail's termini.
The new views will be helpful to many people, including those with accessibility needs who might like to scope out an unfamiliar station ahead of visiting. The ability to familiarise oneself with a busy station in advance will also reassure anyone who gets a bit anxious in such spaces. Even battle-hardened Londoners might care to dip a toe in to, for example, finally decipher how the various Northern line platforms work at Euston or Camden Town.
What's the experience like?
We have to admit, we found it a little tricky to "find our way in". We had to dick about with the little yellow 'pegman' for quite a while before we managed to place him somewhere subterranean. Once inside, however, it's easy to move around, and negotiate stairs and escalators down to platform level.
As with regular Street View, the software has automatically blurred out faces to protect privacy. The captures are not always the best, however...
The technology also allows you to perform acts you would never do in real life, such as passing through a ticket barrier without presenting a card/ticket, or (on sub-surface lines) leaping from one platform to the next in a single bound.
Besides working as an aid to navigation and journey planning, this new Street View feature will also be a boon to future chroniclers of the city. Imagine being able to snoop around a Tube station as it appeared 10, 20 or 50 years ago, for example. And we can imagine ourselves, in a decade or so, getting all nostalgic for the various advertising posters on display.
Which stations are included?
The following 18 stations now have Google Street View enabled:
Baker Street, Bank, Bond Street, Canada Water, Cannon Street, Custom House, Charing Cross, Embankment, Euston Square, Farringdon, London Bridge, Monument, Old Street, Oxford Circus, Tottenham Court Road, Tottenham Hale, Westminster, Whitechapel
Which stations are coming next?
The following 18 stations should be online by the end of 2024.
Camden Town, Canary Wharf, Canning Town, Clapham Junction, Euston, Green Park, Hammersmith (both stations), Highbury & Islington, King's Cross, Liverpool Street, Moorgate, Paddington, South Kensington, St Pancras, Stratford, Victoria, Waterloo
