All posts tagged: Australia

Submission – Official Map: CapitalMetro LRT Pre-Construction Map, Canberra, Australia

February 25, 2016
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Submitted by Mitch, who says: Canberra’s CapitalMetro light rail project will (apparently) commence construction this year. The community is still fairly divided over whether it’s a good idea – I wonder if a more appealing transit map would increase support? Transit Maps says: It’s not exactly exciting, is it? But that’s always a problem with a single-line light rail project: just exactly how do you make it look more impressive? I’ll give this one a […]

Submission – Unofficial Historical Map: Sydney Suburban Rail, 1950 by VoomMaps

February 10, 2016
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Submitted by VoomMaps, who says: Inspired by this schematic map of the Sydney Suburban Network from 1969 (June 2012, 2 stars), I decided to create a retro-looking map of the rail network in 1950 in a similar style. Transit Maps says: I think you’ve nailed the look and feel of this piece quite well, although – like me with my digital recreation of a 1939 map of the Sydney network – you’ve discovered that modern computer-designed […]

Submission – Updated Official Map: Sydney Trains Network, 2016

January 12, 2016
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Submitted by Thomas Mudgway, who says: The third version of the new TfNSW style Sydney Trains map has just been published, due to the integration of the recently completed South West Rail Link into the T2 line. It is leagues better than the original map (September 2013), and just looking over it by eye it appears most of the technical errors are gone. The only label I can see obviously out of place is Cherrybrook, which […]

Before and After: Regional Rail and Coach Network, Victoria, Australia

November 14, 2015
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It’s always fun to do a “before and after” comparison, and here’s a fantastic example of how a well-drawn diagrammatic map can offer enhanced system legibility over a more geographically-based map. The old map (top), dating from October 2014, is pretty terrible work. Towns and cities are in the right geographical location, but are simply joined by straight lines, which creates a difficult-to-read “spider web” of interconnecting and overlapping routes. Rail lines are shown as both purple […]

Official Map – Melbourne and Regional Victoria Night Network Map, Australia, 2015

October 30, 2015
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Sent my way by Nick Stylianou, here’s a map out of Melbourne, Victoria designed to support a major revamp of weekend night time transit in and around that city. For me, this piece continues a worrying recent trend of night service maps that have poor contrast and legibility, simply for the sake of pushing a dark “night” colour theme. This one even has freakin’ stars in the background, which is starting to verge on the ridiculous.  […]

Submission – Passenger Rail in New South Wales at its Maximum Extent by VoomMaps

May 18, 2015
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Submitted by the creator, who says: This map I created presents the NSW rural rail passenger network at its maximum extent in the CityRail style. The stations and lines that no longer provide passenger service (or have been disused completely) are greyed out – with the vast majority of stations and lines now falling into this category. Transit Maps says: This is great work, simultaneously showing NSW’s rail network as it currently exists (solid colours, […]

Submission – Historical Map: Melbourne Tramways of WWI

May 8, 2015
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Hi Cam, Adam from the Melbourne Tram Museum here. Would love to get your thoughts on this! This is my first map done from scratch. We’ve recently launched our special exhibition named Tramway Anzacs, which tells the story of the 538 tramway employees who volunteered for military service in World War 1. As well as sharing their fascinating stories (including a guy who went from being a Cable Tram Gripman at Port Melbourne depot to fighting alongside Lawrence of […]

Project: 1939 Map of Sydney Railways, Digital Recreation

March 9, 2015
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If imitation really is the sincerest form of flattery, then H.C. Beck must have been blushing when this diagram of railway services in Sydney, Australia was produced in 1939. Designed just six years after Beck's famous London Underground diagram first appeared, it mimics the original's style almost perfectly. As scans of this map on the Internet had quality issues, I decided to redraw it in Adobe Illustrator from scratch.

Historical Map: General Railway Development to 1985, Melbourne, Australia (1969)

March 5, 2015
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Submitted by John Mullany via email. Here’s an interesting rail planning map from 1969, presumably produced in association with the 1969 Melbourne Transportation Plan. It outlines all the improvements planned for Melbourne’s metropolitan rail system, including a whole bunch of new branches as shown in blue. According to the map, the works depicted were to be completed by 1985. Fast forward to 2015 – some 30 years past that deadline – and only the City […]

Official Map: Sydney Ferries Network, 2015

February 11, 2015
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One last map from Sydney (for now!).  One of the great pleasures of summer in Sydney is catching a ferry across the beautiful harbour to destinations like Taronga Zoo and Manly. This is the current system map, introduced at the same time as the train and light rail maps that I’ve previously featured.  The seven routes, which used to be depicted in a rainbow of colours on previous maps, are now various shades of green, […]