Just dropped on the LA Metro Twitter account, here’s a first look at their new system map once the Regional Connector opens at noon, this Friday June 16. First off, one prediction I made in my previous review [October 2022] has been proven true: this map marks the end of the old colour-based line designations. No more Red Line, Blue Line, etc. – it’s now A, B, C and so on. I’ll also note that […]
LA Metro opened the first operating segment of the K Line today, and there’s a new map to go along with it! As we haven’t reviewed this map since 2016 (when the Expo Line extension to Santa Monica opened!), it’s high time for a new look. The first thing I noticed is how this version of the map seems to be a point-by-point correction of the perceived flaws that I noted in that 2016: the […]
Submitted by Josh, who says: Hello! I’m a designer in Los Angeles excited by all the new rail infrastructure being built here. I decided to make a map showing what the Metro network might look like in 30 years assuming generous transit funding. It’s my first time designing a map this complex so I’m definitely curious for your thoughts. The new lines are mostly built from pieces and combinations of current plans, including a finished […]
Submitted by Julian, who says: I was compelled to redesign my town’s transit map after reading a comment on LA’s map during the World Cup that said a detracting feature was that it looked “empty.” I try to solve this problem by both bringing more balance to the arrangement of the lines and giving a sense of geographical context with regional borders. I tilted north 45 degrees to create the pleasing visual effect of the […]
Submitted by Cullen, who says: A few months back you answered a question of mine with some tips for preparing artwork for inkjet printing. Everything printed great, so thanks again for your help! Thought you might enjoy seeing the finished map. Transit Maps says: I always say that if you’re going to do an “in the style of” map, you should aim to replicate the source as closely as possible. That’s how you learn what made […]
The Los Angeles Metro opened up a new beta version of its website for public review today. The first noticeable thing is that the interactive system map is front and centre on the home page – the very first thing that you see upon entering the site. No having to click through to the deepest depths of the website just to find a map here, something too many agencies still insist on doing. It’s still […]
The LA Metro Twitter account just shared this new map, ready just in time for the opening of the Expo Line’s extension to Santa Monica tomorrow. Overall, it’s a really nice map, continuing the strong, unified branding and design that Metro deploys across everything: maps, signage, vehicles, stations, their website and other communications material. However, there are a few points of interest worth talking about. First, the map no longer shows Metrolink commuter rail lines, […]
Taken from a Southern California Rapid Transit District (SCRTD) Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS), this map shows the then-preferred alignment for what would eventually become the LA Metro Red Line. The FEIS called for an 18.6 mile alignment, all underground, with 18 stations. The cost in 1983 dollars was projected to be $2.47 billion (or around $5.88 billion in today’s money). An alternative called for an alignment with some aerial sections for $2.41 billion, while […]
Submitted by SounderBruce, who says: The fairly new Metrolink map I came across caught my eye because of the way LA Metro is integrated, showing the termini of lines that don’t even come close to touching Metrolink’s network. Also of note is the prominent inclusion of the Amtrak Surfliner and the Coaster/Sprinter further south. Transit Maps says: When your commuter rail system spans six populous Southern Californian counties, it’s a nice touch to indicate how […]
Nice work here from Steve, adapting the current Metro strip maps into their future forms – with consistent letter designations for all the lines (starting to roll out now, I believe), the new Pink “L” Line designation for the proposed northern branch of the current Green Line to Aviation/96th, the new configurations of the current Blue and Gold Lines once the Regional Connector opens in 2020, and the first phase Purple “C” Line extension to […]
