Google Maps has gradually absorbed useful features from Waze, but there are still differences between the two. This is because Google has stolen another useful feature from Waze's repertoire.

Currently deployed are notifications that warn users when they are approaching a railroad crossing and the resulting delays that can be expected; Google Maps may not have adopted Waze's aggressive redirection feature, but it is still very useful.

Curiously, Google Maps has not announced this feature. Normally, Google Maps would write a blog post explaining the advantages of any new feature or design. But not this time, because we only found out about it thanks to Reddit user u/SamsungGalaxyPlayer.

It makes me wonder if more features will be added to Google Maps that we just haven't noticed yet.

Still, this would be a huge improvement. Especially if you live in an area of the US with many train crossings and have to wait a ridiculous length of time while an exceptionally long freight car goes by. The only downside is that it doesn't tell you what kind of delays to expect, and it's unclear whether Google Maps takes trains into account when calculating ETAs.

One would hope so, especially since Google Maps uses historical data to calculate arrival times. So if a train passes through an area where delays regularly occur at railroad crossings, Google should be able to see this and adjust travel times accordingly. Furthermore, if anyone could track freight and commuter trains and have information about which trains are scheduled to arrive where, it would probably be Google.

This is just one of many Waze-centric features that have been included in Google Maps since its acquisition in 2013. A good example is that Google Maps users were given the ability to report road hazards and traffic conditions in late 2019. Sadly, the app does not provide a proactive way for Waze to automatically redirect to shorten the ETA by even a second.

Notifications of railroad crossings will likely be rolled out to Google Maps users across the U.S. before expanding to other countries. So keep an eye on your own maps, especially if you live in an area with heavy rail traffic.

Google Maps may not be able to stop the trains that cause delays, but it can at least give you advance warning, giving you the option to see if there are other routes available.