Metra has joined CTA on the Google Maps bandwagon, utilizing more efficient commute navigation tools throughout the Chicagoland area.

Metra has partnered with Google Transit, a public transit trip-planning feature of Google Maps, to make it easier for commuters to plan their trips directly from the website on a computer or cell phone, instead of various paper schedules and station maps.

On Nov. 14, Metra launched its new Google Transit link at MetraRail.com/GoogleTransit, where riders can enter their starting point and final destination. The website will show the next three Metra departures from the station closest to the starting time, step-by-step walking directions to each station and any transfers to CTA buses or trains in between.

Phil Pagano, executive director of Metra, stated in a press release that the partnership with Google Transit provides customers with an informational resource, combined with the familiarity and confidence consumers have in Google products.

“It’s especially valuable for the occasional Metra rider or recreational weekend user who may not be familiar with our system or connecting CTA service if they are traveling in Chicago,” Pagano said.

The website will also provide riders with the estimated duration of the trip, the cost of the one-way fare, a graphic depiction of the route on a map, an option to request directions for the return trip and an option to use the map to search for businesses or landmarks near the station or destination.

George Chen commutes using Metra on a daily basis and lives in Downers Grove, Ill. He travels to various areas using different Metra rail lines for his job as a salesman and has already started using the new website.

“I love anything I can get on my Blackberry,” Chen said. “Since I change trains in Chicago, there are days where I ride three different [railroad] lines within a few hours. I had to keep grabbing the paper schedules. It’s much easier to just plug in the address and go from there.”

But there is a potential drawback to the new service.

The website does not provide driving directions to suburban stations, and there is no information on Pace bus routes for suburbanites to find the easiest way to their local station.

Chicago resident Debra Hallerman encountered this problem when she recently traveled to Orland Park, Ill., to attend a business meeting.

She used her Blackberry to access the website, and the directions the site gave her told her to walk 4 miles to the nearest station.

“I had taken the [Pace] bus from the train station, and I needed the route information to get back [to the train],” Hallerman said. “I had to go to a different website to find out when the next bus was coming.”

Patick Wilmot, media spokesperson for Pace, said discussions with Google Transit were postponed because Pace had budget shortfall issues in 2007, and there were also legal issues to work out with Pace’s current software provider. Wilmot said the software uses a different platform than Google.

“We hope to reopen our discussions with Google soon,” Wilmot said. “We would also like to bring RTA into the discussions to make sure CTA, Metra and Pace all work well with Google Transit.”