Google Street View to include Zurich station interior

Most of the Zurich rail station's shops are located underground Keystone

Google and the Swiss Federal Railways are testing the possibility of making the inside of train stations visible through Google Street View, the companies have announced.

The pilot project will begin on September 15 with Zurich’s main train station. The offering will allow users to see the station, its levels and its shops in detail while using Google Maps. The current Google Street View offering for Zurich Main Station is limited to areas around the station, as shown below. During the pilot project, the inside of the station will be added to the offering by photographing it in 360 degrees, with people’s faces obscured to protect their privacy. 

“No customer data will be gathered or analysed” during the pilot, Google and the Federal Railways said in a statement announcing the project. 

“Only information that is for the purpose of navigation, and in connection with the specific application will be used,” the statement added. “The user must agree to its use”. 

Zurich’s main railway station is Switzerland’s largest, spanning 17,000 square metres with hundreds of shops and restaurants. If the Google Street View offering in Zurich proves popular with customers, Google and the Federal Railways say it may be expanded to other stations on the Swiss rail network.