What happens when I completely redraw London’s Tube Map in the style of the Tube Map? Not an alternative map, but a rigorous reconstruction of the real thing to bring it back in line with its diagrammatic roots. Read about the project over on my design blog.
London's Tube Map has long been regarded as an icon of informational design, pioneering the way for just about every other schematic transportation map in the world since its inception way back in 1931. But how much of that reputation is actually deserved these days?
I’ll just leave this here for now… more details real soon!
Submitted by SounderBruce, who says: The fairly new Metrolink map I came across caught my eye because of the way LA Metro is integrated, showing the termini of lines that don’t even come close to touching Metrolink’s network. Also of note is the prominent inclusion of the Amtrak Surfliner and the Coaster/Sprinter further south. Transit Maps says: When your commuter rail system spans six populous Southern Californian counties, it’s a nice touch to indicate how […]
Submitted by Ilya, whose previous work has been featured here on the blog. Figuring that a schematic diagram of a single line subway system is little more than a glorified list (which is basically true), Ilya and Pasha have instead created a rather lovely stylised – but geographically faithful – map of Ekaterinburg’s simple Metro system. In a way, it reminds me of turn-of-the-20th-century railway maps, where the route lines would literally be overprinted onto an […]
Big news out of Germany, where Karlsruhe’s KVV becomes one of the first European transit agencies to adopt a fully curvilinear diagram instead of the almost ubiquitous octolinear “Beck-style” diagram. The new map is shown here, with the old map for comparison beneath it. The old one is a solid, well-executed map, very much in the usual German style of transit map design – although perhaps a little too indistinguishable from many other very similar […]
Submitted by Mark Greenwald, this map shows the reality of trying to operate rail rapid transit after a major blizzard – it’s underground or nothing, it seems! Map by the erstwhile Peter Dovak. Source: Metrorail Info Twitter feed
Got this question from an anonymous follower: Would you have or be able to mock up a map of what the London transit map would look like now that TfL have taken over all suburban rail traffic? For those not in the loop, Transport for London (TfL) will be bringing the operations of all the various train franchises that currently provide suburban or commuter rail service in the Greater London area under the “Overground” umbrella […]
Submitted by Phil K, who says: On my recent trip to Cleveland, I had a chance to check out their new rapid transit system map, and was pleasantly surprised. It’s not perfect, but it’s a pretty big upgrade from the previous version (reviewed July 2012, 1 star). A few major changes to note: Awkward angles have been straightened and geography has been simplified even further in in favor of a more schematic approach; this is […]
Submitted by xoverit, who says: There was one other map inside of the 5 August 1935 Michigan Official Motor Bus Guide, and it’s quite different [to the Eastern Michigan Bus map previously featured – Cam], though suffering from the same cheap paper. Charmingly over-ornate, my favorite detail is that Poseidon seems to have taken up residence off of the Sleeping Bear Dunes. As for the map’s practical purpose, I guess it gets the job done. […]
