External Links and Resources

Table of Contents

Introduction

Welcome to the Metro Route Atlas's external links page. This page aims to serve as a resource for those looking for our sources or for other websites and articles that provide discussions, research, or other insights into public transportation network design and mapping.

News and Publications

This section provides links to formal media that the Metro Route Atlas uses for opening dates, construction projects, and other general public transportation news.

• Diário do Transporte - Portuguese (Brazil). Provides updates on updates of all levels across Brazil, from specific bus line routing changes to openings of new systems and everything in between.
• International Railway Journal - English. Provides detailed articles on select railway projects and topics. Global scope; topics cover technology, bids, contracts, consortia, finance, opinion pieces, etc.
• Mass Transit Magazine - English (USA). Aggregator for local transportation news stories across the USA, including for smaller cities.
• Metro Report International - English (UK); part of Railway Gazette. Provides global urban transport news, though with a focus on rail projects.
• Urban Transport Magazine - English/German (Germany). Provides global urban transport news for different modes, with a focus on Germany and Europe. Partnered with Urbanrail.net.

This section provides links to independent media that the Metro Route Atlas uses for opening dates, construction projects, and other general public transportation news.

• Delta Arquitectura (YouTube) - Spanish (Colombia). Provides construction updates on Colombia, Mexico, and Peru.
• enelSubte - Spanish (Argentina). Provides detailed news and updates on projects within Argentina with a focus on rail infrastructure.
• Seattle Transit Blog - English (USA). Provides detailed news and updates on projects within Seattle.
• SNT VTC (YouTube) - Spanish (Mexico). Provides detailed news and updates on projects within Mexico City.
• Transporte e Infraestructura Mexicana (YouTube) - Spanish (Mexico). Provides detailed news and updates on projects within Mexico City and the country of Mexico as a whole.
• Via Trolebus (YouTube) - Portuguese (Brazil). Provides general high level information on current and in development infrastructure as well as planned projects within Brazil, with a focus on São Paulo.

This section provides links to blogs and media operated by transportation companies themselves.

• Metrolinx News - English (Toronto, Ontario, Canada)
• SFMTA Blog - English (San Francisco, California, USA)
• The Platform (Sound Transit) - English (Seattle, Washington, USA)
• The Source (LA Metro) - English (Los Angeles, California, USA)
• TriMet Blog - English (Portland, Oregon, USA)

Similar Websites

This section provides links to websites similar to the Metro Route Atlas, some of which we use as sources and some of which provide different perspectives on public transportation across the globe. These websites typically cover dozens or hundreds of cities, providing maps or other information.

• INAT - English (France). By Jug Cerovic. Beautiful diagrammatic maps of transit networks in major world cities.
• nycsubway.org - English (USA). Primarily focused on photography and maps for New York City, but also has pages for other rail systems throughout the USA and around the world.
• Urbanrail.net - English (Germany). The world's best resource for urban rail network diagrams. Very comprehensive, and all diagrams also include information on which parts of a ROW are below grade.

Map Design Resources

This section provides links to individual blog posts or websites that cover specific topics in transit map design. These are sorted by website/creator, then date.

• Transit Maps - English. By Cameron Booth. Reviews of official and unofficial transit maps, as well as map design guides. They have a dedicated Tutorials section, including some notable ones below:
• Tutorial: How To Design a Transit Diagram [2011 08 30]
  General introductory guide to planning a transit diagram, including considerations for grid size, curves, and typography.
• Transit Map Typefaces [2013 03 06 - 2013 03 09]
  Part 1: Grotesque Sans • Part 2: Geometric Sans • Part 3: Humanist Sans • Part 4: Other Styles
  Series of posts details styles of typefaces used for public transit maps, as well as benefits, downsides, and considerations.
• Tutorial: Station Labels Using the "Core Type Area" [2013 11 20 - 2013 12 10]
  Part 1: Horizontal and Vertical Route Lines • Part 2: 45-Degree Angled Route Lines • Part 3: Angled Labels • Part 4: Intersecting Route Lines
  Series of posts details styles of typefaces used for public transit maps, as well as benefits, downsides, and considerations.
• Question: What's a good way to display one-way routes on a map? [2014 08 04]
  Examples and best practices for displaying one-way routes on a map. (tl;dr is to use arrows pointing in the direction of travel)

Public Transportation General Resources

This section provides links to individual blog posts or websites that cover specific topics relating to public transportation, such as modes and frequency. These are organized by topic.

Frequency and Operating Hours

• Human Transit - Basics: The High Cost of Peak-only Transit [2017 08 31]. By Jarrett Walker
  Discussion on peak only transit and its downsides.

Modes - General/Cross-Cutting

Modes - Bus

• Human Transit - Basics: Should Bus Rapid Transit be Open or Closed? [2021 04 21]. By Jarrett Walker
  Discussion on open vs closed BRT and the benefits and downsides of each.
• TransitCon 2022 - The Species of BRT [2022 01 30]. By Christof Spieler
  In-depth guide into bus priority service and infrastructure patterns as well as bus rapid transit as a mode.

Modes - Rail

• Pedestrian Observations - What is Light Rail, Anyway [2019 07 31]. By Alon Levy
  Discussion on what constitutes Light Rail. Includes discussions on right of way availability, subway-surface branching, speed and range, and upgrade potential to rapid transit.
• Pedestrian Observations - Stadtbahn Systems [2020 10 28]. By Alon Levy
  Discussion on what constitutes a typical Stadtbahn, its purpose and history, and where it can be applied.
• Pedestrian Observations - Tram-Trains [2020 11 03]. By Alon Levy
  Discussion on what constitutes a typical Tram-Train, overlap with regional rail, when such a system might be appropriate, and different models of urban geography.

Unique Destinations

• Human Transit - Keys to Great Airport Transit [2016 03 01]. By Jarrett Walker
  Discussion on how to best serve airports with transit.

Transit Network Design Resources

This section provides links to individual blog posts or websites that cover specific topics in transit network design. These are sorted by website/creator, then date.

• Human Transit - English. By Jarrett Walker. Website covers a wide variety of topics but we will focus on select articles from their Basics here.
• Basics: Branching (or how transit is like a river) [2011 02 24]
  General discussion on branching and both its advantages and downsides, including diagrams for the infamous SFO/Millbrae branching on BART.
• Pedestrian Observations - English. By Alon Levy. Website covers a wide variety of topics but here we will only detail their work on transit network design.
• Branching [2012 10 24]
  General discussion on branching and when it is useful in the context of S-Trains and Rapid Transit
• The Wrong Kind of Branching [2015 02 04]
  General discussion on reverse branching and why it is an anti-pattern, including examples where it has caused problems for a network