Month: August 2016

Official Maps: Sound Transit Link Federal Way Extension Alternatives

August 31, 2016
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Here’s some interesting isometric-style maps that crossed my desk the other day. They’re part of a series of maps from the Sound Transit Federal Way Link Extension Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) Summary that outline all the proposed potential alignments from the soon-to-be-completed Angle Lake station south to Federal Way.  I believe that the maps were produced by HDR as a consultant to Sound Transit, and they do quite a nice job of comparing and […]

Data Visualization: “London Heartbeat” by Oliver O’Brien

August 26, 2016
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I’m loving this interactive map by Oliver O’Brien that uses entry and exit data direct from TfL to build a picture of how the Tube across the course of a typical day – with around 5 million rides or so. (The data doesn’t yet include the newly-introduced Night Tube, so things wrap up as the last “day” trains finish their journeys at the moment.)  Watching the day progress is mesmerising enough – especially the flow […]

Submission – Official Map: UTA FrontRunner Commuter Rail, Salt Lake City, 2016

August 25, 2016
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Submitted by Mike Christensen, who says: The Utah Transit Authority (UTA) recently added strip maps to its FrontRunner commuter rail trains. At first glance, the maps looked adequate to me. But after a few moments of thought, I have the following critique. First off, the N and S denoting north and south at the end of the route is a bit confusing. However, the biggest criticism I have is the lost opportunity to show connecting […]

Historical Map: “Futuroute” Route Selector for Picc-Vic Rail Project, Manchester, 1970s

August 24, 2016
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Everything about this rather fabulous mechanical route selector – a unique piece created to build interest and publicity for the eventually-cancelled rail project – just screams early 1970s modernist design. From the gaudily coloured stripes on the case, to the tightly-spaced sans serif typeface, to the very name itself: “Futuroute” – literally the route for the future! Although I keep wanting to pronounce it as “futuro-route” rather than the intended “futu-route” for some reason… The unit is now […]

Historical Map: New York City IND Subway Planning Map, 1927

August 23, 2016
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Via: hyperrealcartography: New York City IND Subway planning map from 1927. I don’t have any information about this map other than what’s on it but it appears to be an early version of the Independent Subway System which was built by the City of New York to force the existing private subway companies to sell their lines to the city (”recaptured” as is labeled on the key) .  The plan clearly shows the first section […]

Official Map: “Draw Your Own” Future SFMTA Transit Map

August 19, 2016
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Suddenly, it seems that “draw-your-own” subway maps are all the rage. Hot on the heels of Jason Wright’s fun Brand New Subway game comes this slightly more serious planning tool released by the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) in conjunction with other local authorities.  The stated goal of the tool is simple: Where do you want subway transit in SF? Just draw lines on the map where you want ‘em to go, add some stations and […]

Submission – Official Map: the Carmelit Underground Funicular, Haifa, Israel

August 17, 2016
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Submitted by Adam Susaneck, who says: My favorite from Israel: the Carmelit. The Carmelit is an underground funicular in Haifa, Israel, which traverses the city’s primary geographic feature, Mt. Carmel. The Carmelit, opened in 1959, is one of the world’s shortest subways at only just over a mile, and is the only subway in Israel. The map shows notable attractions near each stop. Transit Maps says: This is a great submission, Adam. It combines two […]

Submission – Unofficial Future Map: Connecticut Rail by Nick Fabiani

August 17, 2016
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Fantasy Maps, Future Maps
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Long-time readers might remember Nick’s fantasy Connecticut transit system (April 2015), so it’s nice to see a new “companion piece” from him that reflects the real world situation of the not-too-distant future when the Hartford Line opens in early 2018.  As most of the rail in Connecticut runs along the chiefly east-west Northeast Corridor, Nick has come up with the rather clever idea of rotating the whole map 30 degrees counter-clockwise, which allows him to […]

Official Map: Montgomery County DOT Metrorail SafeTrack Map for August 9–18, 2016

August 8, 2016
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While the purpose is noble – to inform riders of alternative transportation methods while vital trackwork is performed on Metro’s Red Line – this map is a hideous mess. I certainly doubt that Lance Wyman would approve of any of the additions, which look like they’ve been simply slapped on in Word or PowerPoint (the use of the standard Windows typeface Calibri certainly points that direction, anyway).  The wobbly lime green MARC route line (with […]