All posts tagged: commuter rail

New Project/Work-in-Progress – Historical Map: Streetcar Lines of Portland, Oregon, 1920

July 23, 2016
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Despite Portland once having one of the largest streetcar networks in the United States, finding reliable, empirical information about it is surprisingly difficult. Books about the history of the streetcar – like Richard Thompson’s series of books or John Labbe’s Fares Please! – tend to be more photographs and captions than exhaustive detail, internet sources are incomplete and at times contradictory, and even contemporaneous sources are frustratingly incorrect. A much-referenced Pittmon map of streetcar lines […]

Future Fantasy Map: Consolidated Bay Area Rapid Transit, 2050 by Adam Susaneck

June 22, 2016
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Here at Transit Maps, we see quite a few unified Bay Area maps. It seems that that the fractured nature of all the different transit agencies in the area seems to frustrate quite a few people, which drives them to try and make something better. The latest is this effort by Adam Susaneck, showing what things could look like in 2050 or so in a perfect world.  It’s impeccably researched – head on over to […]

Submission – Rail from Schönefeld Airport to Central Berlin by Robert Aehnelt

June 13, 2016
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Submitted by Robert, who says: 6 Month ago the german railway (DB), section Berlin, ask me to make a map. They saw my works on Wikipedia and gave me the job to create a transit map which help visitors to find the right way form Schönefeld airport to Berlin city. Schönefeld (SXF) is the old East-Berlin airport, which should be closed when the new airport (BER) opens. But since we have a couple of little […]

Photo: Gautrain Strip Map, Gauteng, South Africa, 2010

June 10, 2016
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This has to win some kind of award for “least efficient use of space in a strip map ever”. Let’s see, we’ve got an enormous title, a big picture of the train (that we’re currently on), a giant legend and contact details, and a weird swooshy design feature just to fill up some empty space.  Oh yeah, and a tiny little map that’s  just been repurposed from the main system map without any thought as […]

Unofficial Map: Paris Métro Map by Constantine Konovalov

June 7, 2016
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I first came across this project last November, and wasn’t quite sure what to make of it. An obvious work-in-progress with a lot of half-finished ideas and only part of the map visible in the preview image made things very hard to judge properly.  Fast forward six months and the finished product has been unveiled at last. It’s definitely been worth the wait, as I think this is a very polished, well-considered map. The central […]

Submission – Official Future Map: RTA of Southeast Michigan Regional Master Transit Plan

June 1, 2016
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Submitted by Mike Moran, who says: Southeast Michigan’s local/regional transit plan, an ambitious 20-year, $4.6B plan to provide actual transit options to the greater Detroit area. Heavy reliance on BRT, plus a new regional rail line. One thing to note is the Woodward streetcar (nearing completion) is barely a blip at this scale. As a side note, I’m currently in Portland for a conference (my first time here) and I love the transit system! I […]

Submission – Photo: Baltimore “Rail Connections” Map in Metro Subway Train

April 29, 2016
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Submitted by Bob Hay, who says: Here’s a photo I took on the Baltimore Metro. It’s a glass partition with system map showing connections to Light Rail and MARC as well as the Metro subway line. I don’t recall ever seeing a map displayed on glass like this. (Sorry the photo isn’t clearer, but my stop was approaching.) Transit Maps says: While maps on glass partitions are unusual, they’re not unique to Baltimore. Off the […]

Historical Map: Rail Car and Bus Routes of Central Vancouver, April 1953

April 27, 2016
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A hand-coloured and lettered (in what looks like colour pencil!) map showing the various streetcar, interurban trains and bus routes in downtown Vancouver, British Columbia in 1953 – just five years before the interurban trains ceased operations. The north pointer on this map is one of the loveliest I have seen. See also: this charming illustrated transit map of Vancouver from 1930. Source: City of Vancouver Archives/Flickr

Submission – Unofficial Map: SEPTA Regional Rail and Rapid Transit by Sam Winfield

April 26, 2016
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Submitted by Sam, who says: Hey! For my Graphic Design Thesis, I created a Graphics Standard Update proposal for SEPTA. This includes a System Map (attached), a line map, and various other identity pieces. The most challenging part of the project was creating a Transit map that organized the current information in a way that felt unique to Philadelphia, and increased readability. Transit Maps says: A bold and radical departure from the status quo from […]

Updated Official Map: Denver RTD Rail Services Map, April 2016

April 22, 2016
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Denver’s rapidly-expanding rail network took another step forward today with the opening of the new commuter rail service out to Denver International Airport – the “train to the plane”, as they (a little unoriginally) call it.  However, for those – like me! – hoping for a new map to celebrate the new service, you’re in for a disappointment, as the latest offering is just a minimally-modified version of the previous map (June 2016, 1.5 stars). […]