A fascinating map and diagram of the Singapore MRT from the period c. 2000 (after the opening of the Bukit Panjang LRT in 1999, but before the change to a different mapping style in 2001).

Both show the original method of using paired colours for each direction of travel along a route – an unconventional but memorable method of wayfinding. Take the Green line to head towards Pasir Ris, but the Blue Line to go the opposite direction towards Boon Lay, for example. This worked in the early days of the network, but as the system became more complex it was quickly realised that things was going to become unwieldy and the current system of line colours and station codes was introduced in 2001.

There’s nothing too outstanding about either design – both use the SMRT logo as a station marker, and the map has a pretty average (and very late-90s) gradient fill for Singapore itself. It would seem that the diagrammatic version was used as the in-car maps on trainsets, and it is quite efficient in its use of space. There’s perhaps even an attempt to show how cross-platform transfers work at Raffles Place and City Hall, as all the lines criss-cross each other to end up in specific pairs at both stations: Green/Yellow and Blue/Red at Raffles Place, and Yellow/Blue and Red/Green at City Hall. A nice usability touch if that is indeed the intent!

Our final word: An interesting look at an unconventional approach to line wayfinding in the less complicated days of the SMRT, though it definitely wouldn’t work with today’s comprehensive network!

Source: Reddit – r/MapPorn