While you were waiting in line for the CharlieGate to open the MBTA has been hard at work. Fixing escalators? No. Running busses on schedule? Of course not. Giving their website a complete overhaul? You got it. This morning browsing over to the MBTA.com website brings up a whole new page. Compared to the last 2002-esque design of the T website of yesterday the new implementation is in the flashy web 2.0 vein.

For months Bostonist has gotten excited every time someone came out with a mashup of the T service lines and Google Maps. Two mashups have been particularly good: MBTA subway lines dropped into a Google Map, showing the stops in their street locations; and the service around a location map that allowed the user to click a spot or enter an address and find the closest bus and subway stops to that particular. To our surprise the MBTA has implemented their own version of both of these mashups. Not only can you find an interactive map of each of the subway lines but they've provided the tool for buses, commuter rail lines and – wait for it – MBTA commuter boat lines. Just look at the tabs above the left hand box - click "interactive map."

It's only been out there for a few hours of poking around so we're not ready to give a full run down of useabilty and accessibility, which, given the T's track record we're sure there are bound to be problems. We haven't even begun to look at what "MyMBTA" (yeah, without spaces) might have in store. On initial investigation the new "trip planner" seems to be wicked nice. It maps your subway ride in a reddish line, bus routes in orange, and even shows you the walking route to your final destination with turn by turn directions. Floored. We're absolutely floored. Overall the options are largely the same, just laid out in a graphically pleasing and more colorful way.

There are illustrated instructions for using Charlie, paper or plastic. You can even purchase stored fare cards online. One thing we'll be interested to see is if a feature becomes available that the buy online option lets you add value to your CharlieCard by entering in the numbers taken off the card. It seems like it should be possible, and monthly passes are supposed to use the CharlieCard with an automatic recharge for recurring orders. As of today it's not an option. While we're airing gripes, the site has been a little flakey this morning bouncing from new to old with redirects, overall performance has been spot on. Next up for the T: finally dropping the ICA from the "Hynes Convention Center/ICA Station" name. You know, we really don't want tourists thinking they can hop the Green Line to the seaport district.*

*ICA is gone from the actual station - it's just the web presence that needs to change. Well, that and likely some untold number of system maps out there in various stations and train/trolley cars.