Submitted by Brandon Huang, who says:
The Taipei MRT is extending the Green Line soon and has come up with a redesigned map. What do you think about this redesign? The most notable change is the introduction of a numbering system.
Transit Maps says:
I reviewed the Taipei MRT map way back in November 2011, so it’s definitely time to take another look at it. It’s not entirely true to say that this version introduces a numbering system, as the one I reviewed also gave numbers to lines, but it’s certainly streamlined and implemented better. All the single-station branch lines are not numbered, bringing the total down to five (from nine), and the numbers are shown on the map as well as in the legend, which makes them a lot more useful.
The opening of the new line also does away with the awkward Red Line/Green Line colour swap that used to happen south of Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall station: the new Line 3 runs all the way through the centre of Taipei. The intersection of Lines 2 and 3 at that station is a little awkward, with both lines abruptly changing direction, but the new numbering at the end of each line prevents things from becoming too confusing. I initially thought that the red/green combination here would cause huge troubles for colour-blind users, but I proofed the image in Photoshop and the two shades seem to have enough difference between them to be distinguishable from each other.
Another positive: the addition of icons for airports and other rail services to the actual map. Previous maps had the icons and a lists of relevant stations in the legend only, meaning that a user unfamiliar with Taipei had to scan the map for a relevant station name – not always the easiest thing to do! I also like the addition of a subsidiary route line for main line rail services. However, the blue used to denote rivers is now so light as to be almost invisible, which isn’t great.
Our rating: Some nice usability improvements over previous versions, while retaining the same visual style. A solid update: three-and-a-half stars.
Source: Official Taipei Metro website – link no longer active