Tube Map Central

Dedicated to the science and art of transit map design.

[Tube Map Central @TubeMapCentral]

No time for maps lately, but designing in Lego is also schematisation: Taking reality and trying to express its essentials with simple rules. My Edwardian Underground platforms are finally going to have a station building above them, inspired by Leslie Green, but more Art Nouveau

[Tube Map Central @TubeMapCentral]

Oh dear, Northern Powerhouse Rail got off to a bad start. It seems that an AI-generated map was circulated. Actually, this is so bad I wonder whether the original post by the politician was genuine.

[Richard Clinnick @Clinnick1]

This map hurts my eyes. Piccadilly has moved. Huddersfield, York and Hull have been cloned. THREE Warrington stations.
And there are questions regarding the cynicism towards today's announcement...

[Tube Map Central @TubeMapCentral]

Always a pleasure when a Retours article is published, the website archives a treasure-trove of beautiful posters and maps

[retours @retoursEU]

New RETOURS episode about GDR railway posters!
Even though there was no competition, East Germany was not devoid of advertising. Deutsche Reichsbahn (DR) promoted new timetables, discounts, vacancies or tourism. Design was on par with the West.
https://t.co/Rrdf1Zn5Q9

[Tube Map Central @TubeMapCentral]

@elonmusk @x why should I provide your platform with free content when your algorithms punish my efforts? If you won't show my posts to my followers then I will go elsewhere. Good luck keeping X alive on a diet of slop.

[Tube Map Central @TubeMapCentral]

Speaking of anniversaries, I’m astonished I missed this: Last year @markovenden “Metro Maps of the World” (now “Transit Maps of the World”) celebrated its 21st birthday, a landmark book selling tens of thousands of copies and essential reading for lovers of transit maps.

[Tube Map Central @TubeMapCentral]

Looking at a book on Amazon. Every single one of their recommendations is sponsored, gone are the days when they used data to make genuine recommendations. Why do people use this horrible website?

[Tube Map Central @TubeMapCentral]

Ten years ago today I completed one of my favourite maps, the Chicago El network inspired by the work of Frank Lloyd Wright. It became one of my five viral designs, and not a circle in sight! https://t.co/X1dmHWNCLt

[Tube Map Central @TubeMapCentral]

Rounding off a summer of circles maps, Tube Map Central newsletter 102 emailed to subscribers. Download from https://t.co/fizY4EMXbe. Tube Map Central will be on hiatus while I complete an MBA but you can email me at [email protected] to receive occasional news mailings.

[Tube Map Central @TubeMapCentral]

New for 2025, my Brussels Circles tram and metro map updated to v3. Brussels is my favourite city and I know the network well. The cat-head silhouette at the centre is not inappropriate!

[Tube Map Central @TubeMapCentral]

#Transitmap book author @MarkOvenden has contributed an essay to a new compendium: The Untold Railway Stories, out this week. Mark’s tells of meeting #MassimoVignelli & other transit cartographers (including me)! Other authors include @Jack_M_Curtis, Vicki Pipe, Andrew Martin

[Tube Map Central @TubeMapCentral]

One more map before University term starts, here is another sneak preview.

[Tube Map Central @TubeMapCentral]

Thanks to everyone who has offered corrections. This map is version 1.1, all notified corrections made to date.

[Tube Map Central @TubeMapCentral]

Brand new: Netherlands Railways as circles, my first map of an entire country. Biggest challenges: no station names interrupting lines, keeping the design compact, keeping distortion under control, bundling services meaningfully. Utrecht takes its rightful place at the centre.

[Tube Map Central @TubeMapCentral]

@Ben1844 😃 well spotted, thanks!

[Tube Map Central @TubeMapCentral]

I've been quiet lately, but I've not been slacking. Here is a sneak preview of what is coming next, look out for the completed version soon!

[Tube Map Central @TubeMapCentral]

If you’ve had trouble visiting https://t.co/9PtKoIdlYl in the past, check out the new secure hosting: 20 years of design, writing, research and teaching, and no adverts! https://t.co/YnOpHqPaks did everything possible to make the migration painless, I recommended them!

[Tube Map Central @TubeMapCentral]

Less than 48 hours to go on my Kickstarter project! If you thought that London Circles Tube Map 2024 was incomplete without the rest of London's railways, this is your last chance to get a comprehensive circles design! https://t.co/0rTxBBEhFE

[Tube Map Central @TubeMapCentral]

Perhaps AI can teach creatives grammar?

[Tube Map Central @TubeMapCentral]

@spikeyspud Tube Map Central is a business, do you expect Tesco to engage with your posts?

[Tube Map Central @TubeMapCentral]

@spikeyspud I get just as much engagement on LinkedIn with one fifth the number of followers.