All posts tagged: cartography

Time Lapse Video: the Creation of a Transit Map

July 12, 2012
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As promised, here’s the time lapse video I made while creating my International E-Road Network diagram (E-Roads are the rough European equivalent to America’s Interstate highways, although not all European countries signpost them, or even acknowledge their existence. It’s complicated!). Each frame of this video is a screenshot from Adobe Illustrator at the same zoom setting, taken roughly 30 minutes of working time apart. For me, the interesting thing is how organic the process looks […]

Official Map: Rail and Tram Network, Budapest, Hungary

July 9, 2012
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Budapest boasts the second oldest underground metro line in the world: its Line 1 (Yellow Line) dates from 1896 and was added the the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2002. Only the London Underground predates it. Wikipedia also claims (without attribution, unfortunately) that Budapest’s comprehensive tram service has the busiest “traditional city tram line” in the world where tram lines 4 and 6 combine, with the world’s longest passenger trams (54-metre long Siemens Combino units) […]

Official Map: TRAX and FrontRunner Rail Map, Salt Lake City, 2012

July 2, 2012
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By all accounts, the Utah Transit Authority’s rail system is a modern and successful one. However, this is something you’d never guess from their system map, which is one of the most cobbled-together, unprofessionally done maps I’ve ever seen. Have we been there? Yes, but I’ve never caught the train there. What we like: The required information is there to be found if you can bear to look at the map long enough. What we […]

Official Map: City of Zurich Night S-Bahn and Bus Network, Switzerland, 2012

June 20, 2012
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One type of map we haven’t covered yet here at Transit Maps is the night services map, often considered a very poor relation to the main map. However, there are some excellent examples out there, especially this black and yellow beauty from the city of Zurich in Switzerland. Have we been there? No. What we like: Graphically very striking with its black and yellow colour scheme. Good differentiation between bus and train services accomplished by […]

Photo: British Rail Eastern In-Car Map

May 31, 2012
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A lovely example of British Rail’s house style of the 1960s and 70s, now residing at the East Anglian Railway Museum. This map is from between 1965 (the introduction of the “double-arrow” British Rail identity), and 1978 (when the “Eastern” component of the logo changed from sitting in an outlined box to a solid box like the British Rail text). Can anyone date it more definitively? Source: Deptford Draylons/Flickr

Fantasy Map: Columbus, Ohio Light Rail by Michael Tyznik

May 26, 2012
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It’s been a good week for fantasy maps here on Transit Maps. Hot on the heels of the superb Freshwater Rail map comes this beauty from Michael Tyznik of his hometown of Columbus, Ohio. There’s an undoubted Massimo Vignelli 1970s New York Subway map vibe to this – Michael told me that this project actually began as an update of that map, but then morphed into another city altogether – but it still manages to […]

Fantasy Map: Freshwater Railway, Detroit and Southeast Michigan

May 23, 2012
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This map has to be part of the most convincing fantasy transit system I have ever seen. As well as this stylish and distinctive map, there’s an entire website, complete with additional bus maps, timetables and more. I’ll also note here that the website design puts most transit agencies to shame… If you weren’t familiar with Detroit, you’d be forgiven for thinking this was real (I kind of wonder how many tourists have been tricked […]

Official Map: Bus Routes, Yellowstone National Park

May 18, 2012
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Yellowstone National Park is probably one of the last places I would think of regarding transit maps — but here one is. The Linx Cooperative runs transport to and through the park and released this map for the 2012 season to showcase their services. Have we been there? Yes, but with my own transport. By the way, everyone should visit Yellowstone — it’s truly amazing (See my photoset on Flickr). What we like: Nice attempt […]