Author: Cameron Booth

Historical Map: Sydney Railway Layout, 1953

September 29, 2023
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Historical Maps
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Unearthed on Twitter (It’ll always be Twitter to me, no matter what Elon says) by @crossing_lights, this is quite an extraordinary find. Long-time readers may have seen the 1939 version of this diagram (and the digital recreation that I made). Here’s the thing: the general consensus has always been that this was a one-off attempt at something in the style of H.C. Beck’s newfangled London Underground diagram. I seem to recall that one theory even […]

Submission – Unofficial Map: Brussels S-Train by Elliot H

September 28, 2023
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Unofficial Maps
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Submitted by Elliot, who says: I’ve come across this blog a couple of months ago, and have been lurking ever since. I’ve always wanted to try my hand at designing a trasit diagram, and having gotten some free time, I decided to redesign the S-Train diagram for Brussels. So here it is, my very first finished(ish) transit diagram. Transit Maps says: A great first effort here from Elliot! I’d say that its arguably more successful […]

Project: My UTA Rail and BRT Design Exploration

September 10, 2023
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My Transit Maps, Unofficial Maps
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I teased this in yesterday’s review of the new official UTA diagram, so here’s my exploration of a few design ideas for an alternative version. As always with this type of project, I look for ways to approach the design problems for the diagram that are intentionally different to the official one. We already know what those solutions look like, so I like to explore the untested and see what happens. Some things work really […]

Submission – New Official Map: UTA Rail and BRT Map, 2023

September 9, 2023
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Submitted by Browne, who says: UTA, the primary transit provider for northern Utah, has officially launched its newest BRT service, and with it, a new transit map. The OGX is a new BRT route from Ogden Central Station, downtown, Weber State University, and down to McKay-Dee Hospital. Besides the new BRT line, there are subtle changes to the map’s design as well, such as rounded corners, which had been angular in the previous design. I’m […]

Submission – New Official Map: “Harmonised” Montréal Metropolitan Transit Services Map, 2023

July 11, 2023
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Official Maps
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A flurry of people have submitted this brand new map out of Montréal for review, so let’s get straight to it! First of all, it’s important to note that is part of a new suite of maps and wayfinding signage that’s been in development since 2018. Using Montréal’s iconic “black background” Métro map as a starting point, this system has been intentionally designed to use a common design language to “harmonise” the user experience for […]

New Official Map: Los Angeles Metro with Regional Connector, 2023

June 12, 2023
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Official Maps
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Just dropped on the LA Metro Twitter account, here’s a first look at their new system map once the Regional Connector opens at noon, this Friday June 16. First off, one prediction I made in my previous review [October 2022] has been proven true: this map marks the end of the old colour-based line designations. No more Red Line, Blue Line, etc. – it’s now A, B, C and so on. I’ll also note that […]

Official Map: Newark International Airport Regional Rail Connections, 2023

May 12, 2023
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Every so often, I come across a transit map that is just so unfit for purpose that all I can do is scratch my head and ponder, “Just why?” This is one of those maps. Produced by (or on behalf of) Newark International Airport, it purports to show regional rail services that you can connect to at the airport via its AirTrain. However, it’s so poorly thought out and executed that it’s of very little […]

Fantasy Map: Washington Commanders 2023 “Season Map”

May 11, 2023
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Fantasy Maps
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Posted yesterday on the Commanders’ Twitter account, here’s a Washington Metro-themed map of the team’s 2023 season. It basically just places the team’s opponents for the year on a vaguely US-shaped map using some Metro iconography and colours and calls it a day. It’s superficially fun and adorable, but part of me wishes there was more meaning behind the choice of lines – perhaps grouping teams by the division they play in or something? Still, […]

Historical Map: Trams of Brisbane, Queensland, 1957

May 9, 2023
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A simple but nicely drawn map of tram services in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia in 1957. The lack of any sort of key for the routes means that users need to have some familiarity with the city to decipher where trams might go. The pamphlet that the map is part of includes information about the route names and first and last cars for the day along with some sight-seeing tours that can be made by tram, […]

Submission – Unofficial Map: Metrovalencia by Tom Göpel

February 10, 2023
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Unofficial Maps
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Submitted by Tom, who says: Hi Cameron, first I would like to mention that I greatly appreciate your work and have learned lots about transit maps from your blog alone. It was also this blog that inspired me to try to design my own maps. It’s a great joy to me now. Here, I would like to share with you my take on the network in Valencia which, I thought, would be a fun challenge. […]