Submitted by Elena, who says:

This scheme is a part of my diploma work at the Academy. I set the task to simplify the existing scheme and to find a brand new build schemes. A lot of searches in sketches, disputes. The river and the Islands in St. Petersburg — important guidelines. I managed to save them in the new scheme. Ambiguous result: on the one hand — it’s very simple, horizontal lines and vertical transplantation (elevators), maximum contrast; on the other, I neglected the habits of people. What do you think about this?

Transit Maps says:

There’s a lot to be said for the elegant simplicity behind this map: following a horizontal line means you’re travelling along a Metro line, while a vertical line indicates an interchange between lines at a station. The execution is quite lovely as well, with a shaded area representing the city centre and the useful presence of the city’s distinctive rivers. There’s lots of useful transfer information, as well.

However, it’s perhaps a bit too much of a radical departure from a normal transit map – even a diagrammatical one – to ever be a replacement for an official system map. I do see an application for it as an in-train strip map, though: its long, narrow shape would make it almost perfect in this regard!

Source: Elena’s project website – some good process images here.