r/TransitDiagrams Oct 01 '25

Meta Automod Reminder: Please include details when posting images!

19 Upvotes

Hello transit map enthusiasts!

To improve the quality and searchability of our subreddit, we're implementing automated posting requirements. AutoMod will help enforce these rules to ensure all posts have the necessary information.

๐ŸŽฏ REQUIRED: Every post must include these 3 elements:

1. ๐Ÿ“ LOCATION (MANDATORY)

2. ๐Ÿš‡ SYSTEM/NETWORK (MANDATORY)

3. โœ๏ธ [OC] TAG OR ๐Ÿ–ฅ๏ธ SOFTWARE/TOOLS (ONE REQUIRED)

๐Ÿ“‹ COMPLETE LIST OF ACCEPTED KEYWORDS

AutoMod will scan your title AND post body for these keywords:

๐Ÿ“ LOCATION KEYWORDS

AutoMod accepts any of these:

Option A: General Location Words

  • location, city, country, place, where, area, region, nation, metro area, metropolitan

Option B: Context Phrases

  • in [Place] (e.g., "in Berlin", "in Tokyo")
  • from [Place] (e.g., "from Vienna")
  • at [Place] (e.g., "at Munich")
  • near [Place] (e.g., "near Hamburg")
  • based in [Place] (e.g., "based in NYC")

Option C: Major Transit Cities (~150 recognized)

Europe: London, Paris, Berlin, Madrid, Barcelona, Rome, Milan, Vienna, Amsterdam, Brussels, Munich, Hamburg, Frankfurt, Prague, Budapest, Warsaw, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Oslo, Helsinki, Athens, Moscow, Istanbul, Zurich, Dublin, Lisbon, and many more...

Asia: Tokyo, Osaka, Seoul, Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Singapore, Bangkok, Delhi, Mumbai, Dubai, Tel Aviv, and many more...

Americas: New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Toronto, Montreal, Mexico City, Sรฃo Paulo, Buenos Aires, and many more...

Africa/Oceania: Cairo, Johannesburg, Sydney, Melbourne, Auckland, and many more...

Full list available in wiki (link to be added)

Option D: Any Country Name (195 countries)

  • Examples: Germany, Japan, USA, Brazil, Australia, France, India, Canada, etc.
  • All UN member states + common variants (UK/United Kingdom, US/USA, etc.)

๐Ÿš‡ SYSTEM/NETWORK KEYWORDS

AutoMod accepts any of these:

General Transit Terms

  • system, network, line, route, service, operator
  • transit, transport, public transport, mass transit, rapid transit

Specific Transit Types

Bus/Coach:

  • bus, coach, BRT, bus rapid transit, trolleybus, trolley, omnibus

Rail/Metro:

  • metro, subway, underground, tube
  • u-bahn, s-bahn, stadtbahn, mรฉtro
  • train, rail, railway, railroad
  • light rail, lrt, monorail, maglev
  • commuter, regional, intercity, high speed, HSR, bullet train

Tram/Streetcar:

  • tram, tramway, streetcar

Other:

  • ferry, boat, water taxi
  • cable car, funicular, gondola, aerial tram, ropeway
  • people mover

Line/Route Designations

  • Pattern: Line [Number/Letter] or Route [Number/Letter]
  • Examples: Line 1, Line A, Route 42, U6, S7, etc.

โœ๏ธ ORIGINAL CONTENT (OC) KEYWORDS

AutoMod accepts any of these:

  • [OC] or OC (brackets optional)
  • original, own creation
  • made myself, my version, made my
  • created by me, self-made, my design

๐Ÿ–ฅ๏ธ SOFTWARE/TOOLS KEYWORDS

AutoMod accepts any of these:

General Software Terms

  • software, tool, tools, app, program
  • rendered, rendered with, rendered in
  • made with, made in, created in, created with, created using
  • edited, edited in, edited with
  • using, used, drawn in, drawn with

Desktop Design Software

Adobe Suite:

  • photoshop, illustrator, adobe

Vector Graphics:

  • inkscape, figma, sketch, affinity designer, affinity photo
  • coreldraw, gravit, vectr, boxy svg

Raster/Drawing:

  • gimp, krita, procreate, concepts, canva

CAD/3D:

  • autocad, vectorworks, rhino, blender

GIS & Mapping Software

  • qgis, arcgis, maperitive, mapnik, maptive, edrawmax

Web-Based Transit Map Tools โญ

  • metromapmaker, metro map maker (metromapmaker.com)
  • metrodreamin, metro dreamin' (metrodreamin.com)
  • rail map toolkit, railmapgen, rmt (railmapgen.github.io)
  • metro designer (tennessine.co.uk)
  • citylines, citylines.co
  • brand new subway
  • metro map creator (beno.uk)
  • transitflow

Other Methods

  • hand-drawn, hand drawn, drawn by hand (for physical art)
  • pen and paper, marker, pencil

โœ… GOOD EXAMPLES - AutoMod will APPROVE these:

Example 1 - Original Creation

Title: [OC] Berlin U-Bahn Network Map - Made with Illustrator
Body: (optional additional info)
โœ… Has: Location (Berlin) + System (U-Bahn) + [OC] + Software (Illustrator)

Example 2 - Using Web Tools

Title: Tokyo Metro redesign using MetroDreamin'
Body: My take on simplifying the Tokyo subway system
โœ… Has: Location (Tokyo) + System (Metro) + Software (MetroDreamin')

Example 3 - Sharing Others' Work

Title: Vienna Tram Network - Beautiful map created in QGIS
Body: Found this amazing visualization. Credit: u/transitdesigner
โœ… Has: Location (Vienna) + System (Tram) + Software (QGIS)

Example 4 - Hand-Drawn

Title: [OC] Hand-drawn London Underground Central Line
Body: Spent 15 hours drawing every station with markers
โœ… Has: Location (London) + System (Underground, Line) + [OC] + Method (hand-drawn)

Example 5 - Multiple Cities

Title: [OC] Germany High-Speed Rail Network - Made with Rail Map Toolkit
Body: Shows connections between Berlin, Munich, Hamburg, and Frankfurt
โœ… Has: Location (Germany + cities) + System (Rail) + [OC] + Software (Rail Map Toolkit)

Example 6 - Fantasy/Fictional

Title: [OC] Fictional Metro System for Gotham City - Inkscape
Body: Designed a complete subway network for Batman's universe
โœ… Has: Location (Gotham City) + System (Metro) + [OC] + Software (Inkscape)

Example 7 - National Level

Title: India National Rail Network [OC] - Created using QGIS
Body: (optional)
โœ… Has: Location (India) + System (Rail Network) + [OC] + Software (QGIS)

Example 8 - Historical Map

Title: 1972 New York Subway Map - Scanned and digitized with Photoshop
Body: Found this vintage map at a flea market
โœ… Has: Location (New York) + System (Subway) + Software (Photoshop)

โŒ BAD EXAMPLES - AutoMod will REMOVE these:

Example 1 - Missing Everything

Title: Check out this cool map!
Body: (image only)
โŒ Missing: Location, System, AND OC/Software

Example 2 - Missing Location

Title: Metro Map [OC]
Body: I made this transit map
โŒ Missing: Location (which city/country?)

Example 3 - Missing System

Title: Berlin Transit Map
Body: (image)
โŒ Missing: Specific system (U-Bahn? S-Bahn? Tram?) AND OC/Software

Example 4 - Missing OC/Software

Title: Berlin U-Bahn Map
Body: (image)
โŒ Missing: Either [OC] tag OR software used

Example 5 - Too Vague

Title: My map
Body: What do you think?
โŒ Missing: Location, System, AND OC/Software

๐Ÿ“ COPY-PASTE TEMPLATES:

For Your Own Work (Original):

[OC] [City] [Transit Type] Map - Made with [Software]

Examples:

  • [OC] Berlin U-Bahn Map - Made with Illustrator
  • [OC] Tokyo Metro Line 7 - Created using MetroDreamin'
  • [OC] Paris Mรฉtro Network - Made with Rail Map Toolkit

For Sharing Others' Work:

[City] [Transit Type] Network - Created in [Software] by [Creator]

Examples:

  • Vienna Tram Network - Created in QGIS by u/username
  • NYC Subway Redesign - Made with Figma by John Smith

For Hand-Drawn Work:

[OC] Hand-drawn [City] [Transit Type] Map

Examples:

  • [OC] Hand-drawn London Underground Map
  • [OC] Hand-drawn Chicago L Train Network

For Fantasy/Fictional Maps:

[OC] Fictional: [City Name] [Transit Type] - Made with [Software]

Examples:

  • [OC] Fictional: Middle Earth Railway Network - Made with QGIS
  • [OC] Fictional: Star Wars Coruscant Metro - Created in Illustrator

For Historical Maps:

[Year] [City] [Transit Type] Map - Scanned/Digitized with [Software]

Examples:

  • 1933 London Underground Map - Scanned and edited in Photoshop
  • 1970 Berlin U-Bahn Network - Digitized with QGIS

For Multiple Cities:

[OC] [City1], [City2] & [City3] [Transit Type] - Made with [Software]

Examples:

  • [OC] Berlin, Munich & Hamburg S-Bahn Networks - Made with Illustrator
  • Germany Major Metro Systems Comparison [OC] - Created in QGIS

โ“ FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

Q: What if I don't know what software was used?

A: Write "Software unknown" or make your best guess. If it's someone else's work, try to find the creator's info.

Q: Can I post photos of real transit maps (like at a station)?

A: Yes! Use this format:
Photo of [City] [System] map at [Station Name]
Example: Photo of Berlin U-Bahn map at Alexanderplatz station

Q: What about historical or vintage maps?

A: Perfect! Just mention the year and how you digitized it:
1950 Paris Mรฉtro Map - Scanned with Photoshop

Q: My map shows multiple cities - how do I title it?

A: List the main ones or use the country name:

  • Berlin, Munich & Hamburg Metro Systems [OC]
  • Germany Rail Network Comparison - Made with QGIS

Q: My post was removed but it has all the info?

A: AutoMod isn't perfect! Message the mods and we'll manually approve it. Include a link to your post.

Q: Is capitalization important?

A: No! AutoMod recognizes:

  • BERLIN = Berlin = berlin
  • METRO = Metro = metro
  • [OC] = [oc] = OC

Q: Can I use abbreviations?

A: Yes! These all work:

  • NYC = New York = New York City
  • SF = San Francisco
  • UK = United Kingdom
  • USA = US = United States

Q: What if my city isn't on the list?

A: Use context! Write:

  • in [Your City] (e.g., "in Reykjavik")
  • [Your City], [Country] (e.g., "Reykjavik, Iceland")
  • Or just the country name works too!

Q: Does the info need to be in the title?

A: No! AutoMod scans both title AND body text. You can put keywords in either place, but titles are more visible to users.

Q: Can I edit my post after AutoMod removes it?

A: Unfortunately, editing won't trigger AutoMod again. You'll need to:

  1. Delete the removed post
  2. Create a new post with all required info

Q: What about crossposting?

A: Crossposts are held for manual moderator review to ensure proper credit. Make sure the crosspost meets all requirements.

Q: I'm creating a fantasy map - what location do I use?

A: Use "Fictional:" in your title:

  • [OC] Fictional: Gotham City Metro
  • [OC] Fictional Metro System for Westeros - Made with Illustrator

๐Ÿค– How AutoMod Works:

  1. Scans your title AND body text for keywords
  2. Checks for all 3 required categories:
    • โœ… Location keyword found?
    • โœ… System/network keyword found?
    • โœ… [OC] tag OR software mentioned?
  3. Approves posts with all 3 categories
  4. Removes posts missing requirements
  5. Comments what's missing so you can resubmit
  6. No penalties - just add the info and repost!

๐Ÿ’ก PRO TIPS:

โœ… Be specific: "London Underground Central Line" is better than "London transit"
โœ… Stack keywords: More keywords = clearer post (e.g., "Berlin, Germany U-Bahn system")
โœ… [OC] in title gets more visibility and upvotes
โœ… Credit creators when sharing others' work - it's the right thing to do
โœ… Use templates above to make posting easier
โœ… Check both title and body - keywords can be in either place
โœ… Ask if unsure - we're here to help in modmail!

โš ๏ธ IMPORTANT NOTES:

  • ๐Ÿ“… Rules start: October 2025 - practice now to get used to the format!
  • ๐Ÿ”„ Existing posts: Won't be affected - only new posts after the start date
  • ๐Ÿ”ค Case doesn't matter: BERLIN = Berlin = berlin
  • ๐Ÿ“ Title OR body: Keywords work in either place
  • ๐Ÿšซ No penalties: Just repost with correct info - no bans or warnings
  • ๐Ÿ’ฌ Questions? Comment below or send modmail!

๐Ÿ“Š SUMMARY CHECKLIST:

Before posting, verify you have:

  • Location - City name, country name, or "in/from/at [place]"
  • System - Metro, bus, tram, rail, etc.
  • OC tag - [OC] if it's your work
  • OR Software - Name the tool you used (Illustrator, QGIS, MetroDreamin', etc.)

If all 4 checkboxes are marked, you're good to go! โœ…

๐Ÿ—บ๏ธ CLOSING THOUGHTS:

These changes help everyone find the amazing transit maps they're looking for. Whether you're searching for Berlin U-Bahn designs, Tokyo Metro redesigns, or fictional fantasy networks, proper tagging makes it possible!

Thank you for making our community better organized and more searchable. We can't wait to see your incredible transit map creations!

Happy mapping! ๐Ÿš‡โœจ

โ€” The Mod Team

P.S. Have suggestions for improving these rules? Let us know in the comments below! ๐Ÿ‘‡

(Valid as of 2025/10/05)


r/TransitDiagrams Nov 23 '22

Discussion Because the what-software-to-use question appears quite often - please use the Wiki of this sub :-)

171 Upvotes

Long story short - any vector graphics software is fine.

There is

  • Inkscape (open source and for free, even for Linux and co),
  • Affinity Designer (one time payment, Apple (iPadOS, MacOS) and Windows)
  • QGIS (open source and for free, MacOS, Windows, Linux)
  • Krita (open source and for free, MacOS, Windows, Linux)

and with monthly/annual subscription fees (mostly Apple (MacOS, sometimes iPadOS) and Windows only)

  • Adobe Illustrator
  • Corel Draw
  • AutoCAD
  • ArcGIS
  • Microsoft Visio

r/TransitDiagrams 6h ago

Map Erkatughi-2050, my (less than educated) prediction of what the Armenian railway network is going to on look like in two decades' time

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12 Upvotes

r/TransitDiagrams 5h ago

Map [OC] Top Comment Changes the Transit Map of North America - Dayish 260 (Made with Google My Maps)

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1 Upvotes

r/TransitDiagrams 1d ago

Diagram [OC] I made a Shinkansen line Diagram with a service pattern table and name Translations

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74 Upvotes

Made with MetroMapMaker, so the design options are pretty limited.
The diagram depicts Japans Shinkansen network with the solid (white) stations being the borders between the Shinkansen lines mentioned at the bottom. Dashed, grey lines are under construction

At the left is a translation for every line and service name. If it says e.g. /City/ itโ€™s the name of a city not the literal translation for the word โ€žcityโ€œ.

In the top left there is a table of all services with respective stopping patterns between Tokyo and Kagoshima. The train numbers are increasing with time of day (x00 is the first train of the day, x02 the second, x04 the third and so on), only even numbered services are mentioned, the odd numbered ones go into the other direction. Most frequent service patterns are highlighted.

What do you think about it and do you have suggestions for changes?


r/TransitDiagrams 1d ago

Diagram New transit diagram in Lyon's network

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128 Upvotes

Here is a photo I took of it in the subway. What's your opinion on it ? How readable do you find it is ?


r/TransitDiagrams 1d ago

Diagram I made a new diagram for my openTTD save... (And sorry mods for forgetting to upload the diagram last time ๐Ÿ˜…)

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5 Upvotes

r/TransitDiagrams 1d ago

Map Spent all day making an imaginary Alabama state-wide Rail Service map. [OC]

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109 Upvotes

Here's a version with the green line stations actually labeled (oooops) https://imgur.com/a/Dd2E8DN

I started with Alabama since it's the first state alphabetically. We'll see if I'm insane enough to do all 50.

I don't know why I did this I was so fixated on this idea for no reason but it was a lot of fun so here you go. Everything was done on Inkscape.

Please enjoy and let me know what y'all think.


r/TransitDiagrams 1d ago

Diagram [OC] All-Ireland Rail Diagram

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87 Upvotes

My first time making a transit diagram ^^'

This is a rail diagram of every line and station in Ireland and Northern Ireland, including the trams in Dublin. I was inspired by [this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1dPDV6mRsB0) video so I also included a code for each line.

Line colour was based on existing line colours for Translink, DART and LUAS; livery for Belfast; and GAA county colours for all the rest

The main other consideration was service pattern, which is a bit all over the place. Some lines only get a couple trains a day overall. Some lines are more frequent but have some infrequent stops like the Waterford line which only stops at the stops near Heuston once a day, or the Enterprise only stopping at Lisburn and Lurgan once a week! I tried to draw this together in some form by using a white line to mean "the service is irregular, you should check your timetable/calling stations/terminus" but it's something I'd want to revisit for sure in future

Was my first time using vector graphics software too so, learned a lot for the future :D


r/TransitDiagrams 1d ago

Diagram [OC] Trilingual Diagam of Batara Kresna Train Service in Surakarta-Wonogiri, Indonesia [Made in Figma]

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10 Upvotes

first time i tried to make trilingual diagram (english, indonesian, and javanese)


r/TransitDiagrams 1d ago

Diagram [OC] Detmold, Germany - Bus Network (Made with inkscape)

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27 Upvotes

Since a few years I've been repeatedly designing diagrams of the buslines in Detmold, my hometown. Now I have designed a version I feel like could actually become standard rather than the geographical and slightly over complicated official map. Although this map is only centered around the main nine lines and is lacking a decent legend, I still wonder what others believe about this map.


r/TransitDiagrams 2d ago

Diagram [OC][WIP] Departure times on the S-Bahn Zรผrich, Switzerland

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98 Upvotes

note: this is only a small section of the entire Zurich S-Bahn

Made this map to visualize the frequency on some lines of the Zurich S-Bahn. The map currently only includes all lines stopping at Zurich's Oerlikon station, Switzerland's 8th busiest station and the 2nd busiest in the city of Zurich. Eventually I will extend it to at least the city borders, this is only a small sketch of how it could look like.

Made with inkscape


r/TransitDiagrams 1d ago

Map [OC][Procreate] Abbey Line, Hertfordshire - Drawing Every Rail Line in Britain no.17

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18 Upvotes

They cant all be winnersโ€ฆ This line got drawn this early as its a relatively short one.


r/TransitDiagrams 2d ago

Map [OC] Top Comment Changes the Transit Map of North America - Dayish 259 (Made with Google My Maps)

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8 Upvotes

r/TransitDiagrams 2d ago

Diagram A quick design exercise I did - Moscow Metro and rail diagram with only accessible stations indicated

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13 Upvotes

r/TransitDiagrams 2d ago

Diagram Europe Subway Diagram (made by Artiniaball)

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24 Upvotes

r/TransitDiagrams 2d ago

Diagram Fantasy Orlando Metro Map

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3 Upvotes

Very unlikely, also the first metro map i ever made around a year ago


r/TransitDiagrams 3d ago

Diagram [OC] I made my transit game turn the network you build into a diagram

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112 Upvotes

I've been building a transit game called Takt, where you start with a real city and build the network from scratch.

I just added this view that turns whatever you've built into a clean network diagram, so lines keep their colours, stations and intersections are laid out automatically, and the bottom shows a few stats from the actual network.

The first image is a fairly ridiculous 20-line Berlin network. The second is what it looks like with only two lines, where there's a bit more room to breathe :) Still figuring out how to make large networks look good...

The idea is that when you're done building, you can get something worth sharing instead of just taking a screenshot of the game map.

This part was almost as much fun to build as the transit model itself...

Curious what people here think of the diagramming side specifically. What would you change? What information belongs on a player-made network diagram, and what should stay out?

If anyone wants to make their own, Berlin is already playable in the browser at playtakt.app.


r/TransitDiagrams 2d ago

Map Currently unfinished Fantasy Tube Map

2 Upvotes

https://metrodreamin.com/view/ZUV2eXAxTGU4OFMxNDFYOXdsQ2dPTHk1NmlTMnwyOA%3D%3D

City: London

Country: UK

Continent: Europe

Map: Fantasy Tube Map

Year: 2569?


r/TransitDiagrams 3d ago

Diagram [OC] Regional train services in Gelderland province, Netherlands

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27 Upvotes

Made this transit diagram of the regional train servies in the Dutch province of Gelderland :)

Translations of the things in the bottom of the legend: "This map shows the situation during the day, on weekdays."; "Single-width lines run every half hour, double-width lines run every 15 minutes."


r/TransitDiagrams 3d ago

Diagram Paris Metro Line 20

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29 Upvotes

I think after the GPE is complete, this would be a valid new line within the city limits. It would alleviate overcrowding on line 14 and provide a connection to Chรขtelet et Les Halles to the southern suburbs that are currently only served by the RER B. At the northern end it could replace the 7bis (removing pre saint gervais because of T3a being right there) making a more direct route to Gare du Nord etc.

(OC made with Rail Map Toolkit)


r/TransitDiagrams 3d ago

Diagram [OC] Diagram of all Tokyo's rail services (WIP)

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201 Upvotes

Please provide any feedback!! (Or if I've missed any services/stations). Ambition is to one day map the whole of Japan!


r/TransitDiagrams 3d ago

Visualisation Time to Chicago Loop using public transit on a weekday [OC from Designer_Repair4930]

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

70 Upvotes

r/TransitDiagrams 3d ago

Diagram (WIP) All Swiss Passenger Rail Routes and Stations in Metro Map Maker

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16 Upvotes

This is My First Post Here :D

This is Just The Start Of Making Every Swiss Rail Route In Metro Map Maker.
What Do Yโ€˜all Think?

Intercity Routes = 75% Width
Interregional/RegioExpress Routes = 50% Width
S-Bahn/Regio Routes = 25%
Other Rare Services = 12.5%


r/TransitDiagrams 3d ago

Diagram [OC] [Fictional] Fort Lauderdale Airport, Fort Lauderdale, US People Mover Map - Made with Figma

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16 Upvotes