Submission – Fantasy Future Map: North Atlantic Rail System by Nick Fabiani

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Fantasy Maps, Future Maps

Submitted by Nick, who writes:

Hi Cameron — hope you’re staying well these days. I’m pleased to submit two maps I made to capture the North Atlantic Rail System. The system is a proposed high-speed rail network to connect New England’s major hubs. In my map, I imagine it connecting to and interacting with the existing CT Rail, MBTA Commuter Rail, and Amtrak systems throughout the region. Taken in totality, you see a much more transitable version of New England. (I also added in some other proposed upgrades and extensions, like the Danbury Branch to New Milford).

This map obviously has some Vignelli inspirations, and this presented some unique challenges. Major termini (like Boston’s stations, but New Haven, Hartford, and Springfield as well) become unwieldy quickly with so many lines converging. I also ran into a number of perpendicular transfer points that can lead to awkward and messy solutions. I think I’ve resolved these about as well as can be — just primarily by how easy it is to scan and understand which lines go where — but I don’t know if I’d ever be entirely pleased by some of these transfer points. And I unfortunately had to include some angled text; I tried to ameliorate my own issues with angled text by ensuring all angled text points in the same direction (so nobody would have to flip their head back and forth) and by being thoughtful on where and how it’s deployed.

The first map (below) is what I call the “System Diagram.” This map helps you visualize coverage, but places extra emphasis on being able to quickly understand how to get from Point A to Point B — while considering all needed transfer points — over everything else, and sacrifices some readability and ease of use.

If the other version is a “System Diagram,” I called the second one a “Coverage Diagram.” Unlike the first version, this one sacrifices a good deal of usability — there are a number of places where the need for a transfer, for instance, is obfuscated — but presents a much more legible view of the system. It’s now far easier to scan through and get a sense of the full system and where it goes.

In addition to your thoughts on these two maps, I’d be interested on your thoughts on which presents the greatest utility for the average user. Perhaps the second version, while simpler, is better — unlike a subway system, the average user won’t be making travel decisions by a map these days! Or perhaps the full system diagram better conveys the breadth of options available. They both obviously have their own usefulness, but exploring the differences was a fun part of this project.


Transit Maps says:

These are both really good diagrams, Nick – definitely evocative of the Vignelli style, and nicely executed. I like the slightly muted colour palette you’ve used: the green, purple, and red work really nicely with each other and the light yellow background. The blue water is perhaps a little dark for my liking, but it’s not too bad. And I really appreciate that you took the time to explore both design alternatives here: this is how we grow as designers!

Some comments that are applicable to both maps before we move on to the question of which is “better”. Overall, these are very solid, though I’d really like to see larger labels throughout. Your canvas is a 36 inch square, and your main station labels are set in 10-point with secondary labels are as small as 6-point. In my experience, this is a little too small to be readable at a reasonable distance when printed out. Obviously, fixing this would require quite a lot of work to respace the map – enlarging the Boston area to accommodate the bigger labels and probably moving it up a bit to get rid of some of that empty space at the top right of the map would be my priority. The more rural areas can get compressed a bit to compensate. Even getting the labels up to 12-point would make a big difference, I think. And I’d come up with a different solution to labels for lines leaving the edge of the map: having tiny labels set within the route line is always going to be too small to be useful.

So, which of the two diagrams works better? While I’m always an advocate of a diagram or map showing each route in its entirety from beginning to end, I think you’re right in saying it doesn’t matter too much for this type of diagram. Network coverage is probably all a prospective rider needs to see, and it definitely presents a simpler, cleaner overview of the network. That’s not to say that I don’t think you’ve done a good job with those major interchange stations on the system diagram, because you totally have. I think there is room to remove some of the ambiguity on the coverage map about routing for the Providence to Worcester Atlantic Rail line by separating it out more like the system map so that it doesn’t look like you can catch a train all the way from New York to Worcester: the radial or separated nature of the rest of the Atlantic Rail lines makes it pretty clear where they all go.

What do you think, readers? Do you have thoughts on which approach is more successful? Leave a comment below.

Our final word: Kudos for taking the time to explore different design options! Get those labels up a bit bigger and these are both really solid diagrams!

Submission – Official Map: Upper Silesian Interurban Tram Network, 2021

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Official Maps

Submitted by Daniel, who says:

I’d like to submit the official map of the tram network of the Upper Silesian urban area, also known as Katowice urban area. The network currently consists of 29 lines spanning 13 cities and over 300km of single track, making it one of the largest in the world. The map in addition to trams also depicts a few bus replacement services due to extensive renovations of rail infrastructure. What is particular about this map compared to other tram network maps in Poland is its emphasis on borders between cities as the ticket price depends on how many cities you travel through.

Transit Maps says:

An intriguing diagram of a network that I’m almost embarrassed to admit that I knew nothing about – an extensive tram-based network that acts as both city service and interurban connector. It’s perhaps important to note, however, that no one line extends the full length or breadth of the system, meaning you’d have to transfer a few times to get from one end to the other!

For such a sprawling network, the diagram is laid out reasonably well, with a nice chunky design style and clear labelling. The amount of angled labels are perhaps unfortunate, but almost unavoidable given the amount of stations. The black bar for major interchange stations is unusual, but certainly effective at drawing in the viewer’s eye. For the most part, the routes are clear and easy to follow, though the 23’s little turnaround down to Katowice Plac Miarki is very unclear. The sheer number of different travel zones is probably handled about as well as it can be, and I’m certainly glad that it hasn’t been done by using shaded background areas – that would have been a complete mess!

Initially, the most perplexing thing about this diagram is the colour scheme, which seems very skewed towards the pink/purple end of the spectrum. Pinks and purples make up pretty much half of the different routes, while greens and blues seem very under-represented. However, the diagram works surprisingly well when viewed using a colour-blindness simulator, with excellent contrast between adjacent lines… so I wonder if that’s part of the reasoning behind what on the surface looks quite peculiar? For me, the color-blind version is actually better balanced visually than the actual colours, as seen in the detail below.

Our final word: Considering the size and density of the network (over 300 stops!), this really is quite a clean and clear diagram. An apparently odd colour scheme actually works well for colour-blind users, showing the difficulties inherent in designing something attractive and usable for all users of a transit diagram.

Source: Official ZTM website

Historical Map: BART “Going Places” Advertising Supplement Poster, 1982

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Advertising, Historical Maps, Illustrations

Here’s a fantastic poster designed as the centre spread of an advertising supplement to various Bay Area newspapers to celebrate the first ten years of BART (1972–1982). The immediately recognisable system diagram is overlaid on top of some charming line illustrations of landmarks and attractions, with the routes of BART Express buses also indicated. It’s all very simple – the illustration looks like it’s been done with some coloured fine felt-tip pens – but it’s well drafted and quite effective, creating a fun little map to mark BART’s first decade.

If I have one minor complaint, it’s that the hand-lettered station names are quite hard to read, becoming lost in the busy illustrated background. However, as the map is really meant to be decorative, I hardly think this really matters much.

The other side of the poster folds up into two sheets filled with “BART facts”. See a high-res scan here.

Source: David Rumsey Map Collection

Project: A Map of Electric Rail Service in Spokane, Washington in 1912

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Historical Maps, My Transit Maps
An old map of Spokane, WA with streetcar routes shown as red lines overlaid on streets.

Old streetcar maps often do a very poor job of actually showing how the routes ran – often just drawing an otherwise unmarked red line down the middle of roads on a standard cartographic map without any explanation of stops, loops or route names (see left for an example). Finding accurate information about the actual routing of individual lines can be a long and thankless process, so when long-time Transit Maps correspondent Karl Otterstrom tweeted not only a timetable, but a full turn-by-turn listing of streetcar routes in Spokane in 1912, I knew that I had the chance to make something awesome – a comprehensive map that showed every route in its entirety, untangling the old network and removing a lot of the mystery about how streetcars in Spokane actually worked.

Without further ado, here’s the map in my spiffy new zoomable map format. View the map in the window below – you can zoom in and out, pan around, and also go full screen. Or, you can also click here to experience the map in a full browser window. Read on underneath the map for a comprehensive overview of the design process.

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Submission – Official Map: MetroBus Zone Map, Valencia, Spain

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Official Maps

Submitted by Roberto, who says:

I just wanted to share with you the official map of the buses (MetroBus) that link the city of Valencia (Spain) with towns of its metropolitan area. Map by the Valencia Metropolitan Transport Authority (ATMV).

Transit Maps says:

Oh dear. This is… bad.

MetroBus (a collective term for all the metropolitan buses run by various operating companies in and around Valencia) operates over 100 routes, but you’d be hard pressed to see that from this desultory diagram.

For a start, there are no route numbers on the map at all, so it’s almost impossible to do any kind of route planning. And then there’s the different colour coding for the routes, which has no apparent or useful meaning because the map doesn’t have a legend.

There’s absolutely no reason for any of the stop labels on this map to be set at an angle, and yet so many are. The label for El Saler doesn’t even sit on its route line, missing it by a good margin.

What exactly happens to the routes when they enter Valencia itself? The map seems to imply they all just suddenly terminate near the edge of Zone A, but I seriously doubt that’s the reality of the situation.

A very minor positive: the zones are at least drawn relatively competently and aren’t too distracting. I like the way that the zone letters are stacked neatly down the right edge of the map.

Our final word: Seems almost half-finished. Almost completely useless for any form of route planning.

Source: ATMV website

Historical Map: Green Line Coach Routes, London, 1949

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Historical Maps

Perhaps because of post-war austerity measures, this map was printed with just two inks – green and black – but still manages to do a lot of really good work.

The radial nature of the Green Line network definitely makes things easier for the designer, as only a few of the routes really interact with others as they spread inexorably outwards from the map’s centre. The large route numbers at each terminus are great, as is the eye-catching reversed white rectangle indicating central London which also refers readers to a more detailed map on the other side of the sheet. Labelling is in the almost-ubiquitous Gill Sans, which for me always seems to work a bit better as all-caps, such as at the terminus stations.

Our final word: The limited colour palette might have been imposed on the designer, but they’ve turned it into a positive – creating a distinctive and stylish piece.

Source: David Rumsey Map Collection

Submission – A History of San Francisco Area Street Rail Transit by Travis Emick

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Visualizations

Submitted by Travis, who says:

I made an animated visualization of the light rail infrastructure of San Francisco from 1850–to–nowish. I was wondering if you would be interested in posting!

Transit Maps says:

I sure would be, Travis! This is a great 15-minute video that succinctly outlines the rise and fall of rail-based street transit in San Francisco, Oakland and even Marin County. The sheer number of competing companies in the early years is quite staggering! The impact of the Great Earthquake is covered, and there’s even a look at a couple of “alternate future” San Franciscos – one dominated by all the freeways that were once planned, and another where much of the rail infrastructure had been kept. Nicely animated and clearly narrated, it’s well worth a look to get an overview of transit history in the Bay Area.

Note: Travis acknowledges his error regarding San Francisco’s current population at the beginning of the video; don’t hold it against him!

Source: Travis Emick/YouTube

Submission – Twin Cities Travel Time Cartogram by Avian Ciganko-Ford

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Unofficial Maps, Visualizations

Submitted by Avian, who says:

Hello Cameron! Last week my WiFi was out so I was disrupted from my usual cartographic routine and decided try something outside the box. What I ended up coming up with was this cartogram showing travel time between light rail stations in the Twin Cities. I always find it to be a creature comfort when transit maps tell me travel time between stations, and it can really highlight some advantages (or disadvantages) of a system. It was a fun little endeavor and I wanted to share it!

Transit Maps says:

This is a sweet little visualization that almost seems willfully minimalist, even down to the choice of a “typewriter” font for the station labels. An unconventional choice, but I think it works given the immediacy and simplicity of the graphic. I have to admit that I never really know whether or not I’m meant to count the station dot as a “minute” with this type of graphic, although it probably doesn’t matter too much one way or the other if you account for the dwell time at each station.

There’s only one slight problem that I see: because the Mall of America and Union Depot terminal stations are the same distance down the page from the top, it could be assumed on a casual glance that it takes the same amount of time to reach both stations from The Interchange. However, because the Green Line takes a dogleg across the map, it actually takes quite a bit longer to reach its final destination. It’s not a big deal, but it does mean that the information contained in the diagram takes a little longer to parse.

Our final word: Simple and to the point, with an execution to match. Fun!

Official Map: Sacramento Regional Transit District (SacRT) System Map, 2021

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If the previous RideKC map is an example of a system diagram that doesn’t quite reach its full potential, then this is an example of one that surely does.

Really, every system map should strive to be this excellent: a simplified bespoke base map allows just the right amount of geographical information to be shown. The intelligent rotation of the map slightly counter-clockwise to match the local perception of “north”. The use of colour to enhance meaning and comprehension of the different services, including those from other transportation agencies at the bottom of the information hierarchy. Clear and stylish labelling. Great mode differentiation – there’s absolutely no doubt which lines represent the more frequently running light rail, even without consulting the comprehensive legend.

I could go on, but you get the idea – this is great transit map design. It definitely puts SacRT’s bland and generic light rail diagram (below) to shame, that’s for sure – one wonders why the latter hasn’t been updated to at least attempt to match the style of the system map?

For the record: the system map was designed by those fine folk at CHK America, and bears many of their design hallmarks.

Source: SacRT website

Submission – Official Map: RideKC System Map, Kansas City, 2021

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Official Maps

Submitted by Jon, who says:

I’m curious to get your thoughts on the full RideKC Regional Transit Map. RideKC debuted in 2015 as part of the KC Streetcar project [review of the original Streetcar diagram here – Cam], and the RideKC branding is now used for the buses on four transit systems across the metro area, in order to better unify transit across five counties and two states. This map does not show the streetcar extension from Union Station to Country Club Plaza, which will replace the MMAX bus rapid transit route when it opens in 2025.

Transit Maps says:

Before we get into the review proper, it’s interesting to note that even though is the current official system map available on RideKC’s website, it seems to be out of date. There should be three red MAX bus lines (Main, Troost and Prospect), but the map only shows the first two, with bus route 71 running along Prospect instead. Prospect MAX started running in 2019, so it’s pretty poor that the map hasn’t been updated since then (note the January 2018 date at the top right).

As for the map itself, one really has to wonder just why it’s so blue? It seems to me that the RideKC branding – which is predominately blue – has influenced this look, but not really for the better. The background is two different tints of blue (one for each state!), rivers are blue, highway shields are blue, the streetcar line is blue, bus lines are blue… the whole map is almost entirely monochromatic except for the afore-mentioned MAX lines, which cut overly-dominant red slashes across the map. For me, an instant improvement to this map would simply be to make the background a warm light yellow: it would give some much-needed colour contrast to the map, and the blue route lines would then have more “pop” against it.

Although the map is obviously meant to be viewed as a large printed poster (the PDF dimensions are 36″ x 48″), elements do seem to be very thin and spindly throughout. The sprawling nature of the network doesn’t help and creates a lot of dead space around the edges of the map, despite the welcome presence of inset maps for the far-flung destinations. I’d probably have liked to see a darker blue used for the titles of these insets to draw the eye to them better, and perhaps even a subtle drop shadow behind them to lift them off the page a bit.

Our final word: A competent system map that’s let down somewhat by the insistence on using blue for just about everything on it.

Source: RideKC.org website