It’s a great question, and one that regular Transit Maps contributor Peter Dovak addresses over at the Greater Greater Washington website. A series of maps runs through a variety of options, each with its own pros and cons. Making Lance Wyman’s chunky style work with an increasingly complex system is a real challenge, but Peter’s definitely come up with some workable ideas. The one above uses a thinner route line for the Purple Line, which works well, but the alternative which only shows the route line with no station names is also quite attractive, if a little less informational.

Head on over to read the whole article and see all the alternatives – great exploratory design work!