Is the current Tube Map design future-proof for new projects?
There are many attempts to create future Tube maps, even TfL has one created in 2007. With all the unfunded projects, can they be adapted to the current Tube map design?
I based off this map using the regular flavour of Tube map, and squeezed these projects into it.
- Great Northern inner services
- West London Orbital
- DLR Thamesmead Extension
- Bakerloo Line Extension
- Infill stations like Old Oak Common, Surrey Canal, Castle Green etc.
I removed all wheelchair blobs, as I believe they should belong to a separate map similar to the step-free guide map. This makes the map a tad less busier, without twisting the interchanges to match the wheelchair blobs (see you Bond Street). River services interchanges are going back to icons next to station names similar to National Rail ones, without the connecting blobs to the river banks.
The line colour of the Great Northern inners is lifted from the Rail and Tube services map, while that of West London Orbital was picked after a dialogue with ChatGPT.
How about Crossrail 2 and further metroisation in the south?
The current design can fit in Crossrail 2 as the southwest quadrant is still spacious, and the northern branches can be squeezed between the Weaver Lines, pushing Central Line further to the right. If we are bringing in more "lines" in the south, I think a more radical design is needed.
Software used: Affinity 3.2.2