
New York Subway X-Ray Area Maps - citrin_ru
http://www.projectsubwaynyc.com/x-ray-area-maps/
======
nielsbot
Relevant: [https://www.wired.com/2016/07/lose-tomoyuki-tanakas-x-ray-
il...](https://www.wired.com/2016/07/lose-tomoyuki-tanakas-x-ray-
illustrations-tokyo-train-stations/)

TOMOYUKI TANAKA hand-draws ballpoint renderings of the innards of Tokyo's
sprawling train stations.

~~~
atonse
Beautiful but geez, Wired's headline typography is simply unreadable. It's
such a pain to read.

~~~
donohoe
I _think_ you can thank/blame former Wired Editor in Chief, Scott Dadich for
that.

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StanislavPetrov
Clicked on this link expecting to see an expose on police-state expansion of
x-ray usage into subways.

[https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/10/the-
nyp...](https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/10/the-nypd-is-
using-mobile-x-rays-to-spy-on-unknown-targets/411181/)

Glad to see this awesome subway-station depiction instead.

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bcraven
Transport for London produced similar drawings for all 124 Tube stations:

[https://www.ianvisits.co.uk/blog/2015/07/12/3d-maps-of-
every...](https://www.ianvisits.co.uk/blog/2015/07/12/3d-maps-of-every-
underground-station-tuvw/)

~~~
joshvm
It's a shame that they're not more complete. In reality Camden Town looks more
like a motorway junction because it has to switch both branches of the
Northern line in one place.

[http://husk.org/www.geocities.com/athens/acropolis/7069/ltca...](http://husk.org/www.geocities.com/athens/acropolis/7069/ltcamden.jpg)

~~~
theoh
That's Camden Junction, which is not part of the station. The axonometric
drawings exist for fire safety reasons AFAIK -- similar drawings are usually
displayed somewhere in the ticket hall -- so details of the tunnels are out of
scope.

(1927 drawing of the junction on this page:
[http://districtdavesforum.co.uk/thread/6095/camden-town-
junc...](http://districtdavesforum.co.uk/thread/6095/camden-town-junction))

I like that it's a non-blocking switch. There are alternatives which would
restrict concurrent traffic between any two branches.

------
casta
The 42nd street stop seems to be missing the 8th avenue line downtown
platform.

Maybe it's just completely covered by the walking area?

It'd be great to have a 3d visualization where you can rotate the camera
around.

~~~
dionidium
I noticed that, too. I think the angles are such that it wouldn't be visible
from this perspective. The steps are there. (Although I could _swear_ there's
another set of steps just across from the "Urbo" entrance. May have to take a
detour down there tomorrow to satisfy my curiosity.)

~~~
mertd
The platform is there, just not quite visible because the upper floor is
obstructing it. But you can see the bottom of the platform next to the
accessible ramp.

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bonyt
The MTA has a similar 2D version of this on their website, divided into the
"Neighborhood Maps," which are also posted in some stations[1, 2]. Apple maps
has had this for the New York City Subway for a while[3], and Google is adding
it but still doesn't have the entrances/exits like Apple Maps has (which are
very helpful!)[4].

[1]:
[http://web.mta.info/maps/neighborhood_maps.htm](http://web.mta.info/maps/neighborhood_maps.htm)

[2]: [http://web.mta.info/maps/neighborhoods/mn/M12_MidtownEast-
Gr...](http://web.mta.info/maps/neighborhoods/mn/M12_MidtownEast-
GrandCentral_2015.pdf)

[3]: [https://i.imgur.com/nDsEOIP.png](https://i.imgur.com/nDsEOIP.png)

[4]: [https://i.imgur.com/Mc0WTAc.png](https://i.imgur.com/Mc0WTAc.png)

------
emilfihlman
As a sidepoint:

You know what's annoying? When sites implement views that capture all your
input on mobile, potentially trapping you and preventing scrolling away from
them. This site is a good example of this.

~~~
ncr100
I know what's annoying - these maps are made using Z-rays, not X like claimed
by the title. /s

Honestly, I am initially thrown causing me frustration, and do recover, when
my mind is required to switch between technical and aesthetic descriptives.

------
gant
Not even close to being that good, but parts of the Frankfurt Metro have basic
station maps on the platforms.

Of-Marktplatz:
[https://dl2.pushbulletusercontent.com/lxmCMsRFcz6eOy53QqHHzk...](https://dl2.pushbulletusercontent.com/lxmCMsRFcz6eOy53QqHHzk5VgKX3dsc6/20170808_172821.jpg)

Of-Kaiserlei:
[https://dl2.pushbulletusercontent.com/BEJXV2Cp8UDZ1dbbXVRPZe...](https://dl2.pushbulletusercontent.com/BEJXV2Cp8UDZ1dbbXVRPZeE0HNnoBWIc/20170808_173617.jpg)

~~~
majewsky
There are similar maps for complicated tram intersections in Dresden:
[https://www.dvb.de/-/media/files/liniennetz/%C3%BCb_hst_hbf_...](https://www.dvb.de/-/media/files/liniennetz/%C3%BCb_hst_hbf_15.pdf)
(all at [https://www.dvb.de/de-
de/liniennetz/haltestellenumgebungspla...](https://www.dvb.de/de-
de/liniennetz/haltestellenumgebungsplaene/) )

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lkr
Berlin got these simple maps printed out for every station:
[http://www.bvg.de/de/standortplan/9003201](http://www.bvg.de/de/standortplan/9003201)

They can be found on the map icon on the left below the city map if you
searched for any station over here:
[http://fahrinfo.bvg.de/Fahrinfo/bin/stboard.bin/en](http://fahrinfo.bvg.de/Fahrinfo/bin/stboard.bin/en)

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brycekahle
I've been interested in generating reasonably accurate 3D models of NYC subway
stations for awhile. It always bothered me that routing stops the second you
descend into the station. If anything, that is where you need it most because
some of the stations are confusing and the signage varies in helpfulness.
Visitors often do not even know what side of the platform to stand on.

I went so far as to purchase a Project Tango[1] tablet several years back. I
was trying to automate some of the mapping work using SLAM[2] but did not get
very far before real life took over. I would be very interested in picking
this project back up, especially with the recent developments in AR/VR. If you
are interested in helping out, please reach out. Email is in my profile.

[1]: [https://get.google.com/tango/](https://get.google.com/tango/) [2]:
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simultaneous_localization_and_...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simultaneous_localization_and_mapping)

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intsunny
Some other train stations that would be interesting to see:

\- Atlantic Ave Pacific Street station (Most number of connections in the
entire system)

\- South ferry old and new stations (some of the sharpest rail curves in the
system right at the edge of the Hudson river)

\- 191 St station (deepest in the city at 180 feet/ 50 m)

\- Hudson yards (They had to build the 7 train below the Hudson yards
construction and all the existing and new Amtrak rail to New Jersey.)

~~~
dionidium
" _Atlantic Ave Pacific Street station (Most number of connections in the
entire system)_ "

If you count the _Port Authority_ and _Times Square - 42nd St_ as one, then
you've got the 1, 2, 3, A, C, E, N, Q, R, W, 7, and S trains. That's more,
right?

~~~
jonesetc
You can also connect to Bryant Park/42 and get BDFM. That whole complex is
definitely the most transfers.

~~~
beeandapenguin
How do you connect to Bryant Park - 42nd street from Times Square? I have
always walked above ground.

~~~
dionidium
Yeah, I don't think you can. Protip: if you toggle "transit" on Google or
Apple maps, then it shows outlines of the stations.

However, there is this:

[https://www.6sqft.com/video-go-inside-the-citys-longest-
unde...](https://www.6sqft.com/video-go-inside-the-citys-longest-underground-
tunnel-from-rockefeller-center-to-times-square/)

------
PaulHoule
My eye gets drawn to the tradeoffs made in drawing them. For instance, often
things on the surface are inked behind things below (like the monument in
Columbus circle) because the things below are "more important" but this does
make decoding the scene harder.

Also the S line platform in the 24nd-TimeSq station is drawn in such a way
that it is not so clear what it is, which bugs me because I see that platform
as one of the distinctive things about that station.

------
acomjean
There was a interesting book I had when I was a kid. Its was about all the
underground infrastructure by David Macaulay.

Google books has some pages :

[https://books.google.com/books?id=Lqav0No51cEC&pg=PA92&sourc...](https://books.google.com/books?id=Lqav0No51cEC&pg=PA92&source=gbs_selected_pages&cad=2#v=onepage&q&f=false)

------
nja
Anyone aware of similar maps for Boston's T system? (as the oldest subway
system in America, its stations have many quirks)

~~~
Jpoliachik
I'd love to see this one.

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tacostakohashi
Interesting... although it seems obvious in hindsight, I hadn't really
appreciated that the terrible internal layouts of these stations was dictated
by the lines following specific avenues so exactly.

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pimlottc
Since we're on the topic, anyone know where to find these kinds of individual
station diagrams (2D or 3D) for Metrorail in DC? I haven't been able to turn
up anything besides system maps.

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bogomipz
These are beautiful! I would love to know more about the process she goes
through when surveying these. They look quite accurate. Thanks for sharing.

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mattsouth
These are beautifully rendered. I'd love to be able to interact with them as
you would in sketchup.

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KiDD
I really like this! I wish I had more of the track visible. Possibly with
layers.

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danielschonfeld
Beautiful, but 14th street/Union square is missing the L line

~~~
gfrangakis
It's the gray platform that intersects the middle of the 456 and the end of
the NQRW

~~~
abecedarius
That's confusing. I wonder why it's rendered that way. (Though I feel kind of
bad about complaining.)

~~~
SomeHacker44
Because the NYC Subway "color" of the L line is gray! It's logo is a gray
circle with a white "L" in the middle in a sans-serif block font.

~~~
abecedarius
Yeah, though also the other two tunnels seem to be shown with much wider
colored strips. The L looks here more like a walkway between them.

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kokwak
Love it! Fantastic!

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notjustanymike
They're beautiful. Would it kill you to use a sans-serif font so I could read
it?

~~~
couchand
Oh my, you can't read text with serifs? That sounds like a horrible
affliction!

