All posts tagged: commuter rail

Unofficial Map: Boston MBTA Commuter Rail Time-Scale Map

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Unofficial Maps, Visualizations

We’ve previously featured Stonebrown Design’s time-scale Boston Subway Map (Aug. 2012, 3.5 stars) – now they’ve produced a map for Boston’s extensive commuter rail network along the same lines. To my mind, this map is even more successful for a couple of reasons: firstly, the time rings are completely concentric, which makes the map easier to read and looks more aesthetically pleasing. It’s interesting to see how fare zones don’t necessarily correspond to the amount […]

Unofficial Map: Metro-North Railroad, New York by Robert O’Connell

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Unofficial Maps

Transit maps on Wikipedia can be a bit of a mixed bag. Anyone can contribute, so the quality can range from mediocre to awesome. However, Robert McConnell –also known as “the Port of Authority” – consistently produces some fantastic work. We’ve previously featured his Boston MBTA Commuter Rail map (October 2011, 5 stars), and here’s another fantastic piece. We’ve also featured unofficial maps that show all commuter and regional rail out of New York before […]

Unofficial Map: FrontRunner and TRAX, Salt Lake City, Utah

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Unofficial Maps

Brought to my attention by Garrett Smith when he submitted the abomination that is the new official UTA map, here’s a completely different take on Salt Lake City’s rail system from Flickr user H4vok_13. This map is by no means perfect, but it’s an absolute paragon of simplicity and clean design compared to the real thing. What we like: Streamlined, simplified route lines that expand the city centre and compress the outlying areas work wonders […]

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

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Official Maps

Today, the FrontRunner commuter rail system opens for revenue service south of Salt Lake all the way down to Provo, and there’s a new version of the map to reflect this new service. I reviewed a previous version of this map back in July, and I didn’t have much positive to say about it then – and my opinion has not been changed with this new iteration. Quite a few people have submitted this new […]

Photo – Official Map: Fujikyuko Line, Japan

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Official Maps

And now for something completely different… possibly the strangest official map I’ve ever seen (but oh so Japanese!). This map is for the privately-run Fujikyuko Line in in Yamanashi Prefecture, between Ōtsuki station and Kawaguchiko Station in Fujikawaguchiko. The line runs through mountainous country and has spectacular views of Mount Fuji… hence the cute anthropomorphic mountains, I’m guessing. Which, awesomely, also carry across onto the livery of the rolling stock as well. Despite the overall […]

Official Map: Merseyrail Network, Liverpool, England, 2012

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Official Maps

Submitted by ma77design, who says: I think it’s one of the most unattractive and horribly designed transit maps out there. It hasn’t been redesigned or reworked for a large number of years. Its choice in colours is uninspiring and doesn’t really offer much to people using it. Transit Maps says: While certainly not the worst transit map out there by any stretch of the imagination, this map is so bland and generic that it looks […]

Unofficial Map: Frequent Transport of Wellington, New Zealand by Brent Palmer

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Unofficial Maps

Submitted and created by Brent Palmer. This is one I conjured up this weekend, dealing with Wellington, NZ. Only four local bus routes (and the Airport Flyer) turned out to meet any half-reasonable “frequent service” criteria. Transit Maps says: A gorgeous looking map from long-time follower, Brent Palmer, that unfortunately serves to highlight the paucity of frequent transit services in New Zealand’s capital. Another striking dark background, and some unusual but highly effective colours for […]

Unofficial Map: Caltrain Route map by jeflu

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Unofficial Maps

Created by “jeflu”, who says: A better Caltrain map: Caltrain’s current route map looks outdated and provides very minimal transfer information. I’ve created a refreshed map which provides more comprehensive transfer info (to other transit systems and airports) as well as a one-way fare chart. Stations served by Baby Bullet express trains are in bold. A current drawback: I left out all weekend-only and south-of-San-Jose stops. Future renditions could include those. Transit Maps says: This […]

Unofficial Map: New York Regional Rail by Carter Green

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Unofficial Maps

To say I’m excited to share this map with you would be an understatement. In August, I was contacted by Carter Green, a high school student who had been inspired by my maps (especially my map of French TGV routes) and had created his own of regional rail services in and around New York City. He asked whether I would mind taking a look at it, which I did. Immediately, I was impressed with the […]

Historical Map: Boston Commuter Rail, 1976

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Historical Maps

Here’s a fine piece of mid-1970s transit map design, showing Boston’s extensive commuter rail network. Its style is definitely in line with other North American maps of this period, including this one of Philadelphia’s SEPTA system from 1980 – sharp lines and clean typography were the order of the day back then, it seems. Have we been there? I’ve been to Boston, but haven’t used the commuter rail system. What we like: Clean, clear and […]