Inspired by Cam Booth’s NYC tube map, I wanted to try my hand at the using the most iconic of transit map design languages – the design of the London tube map! So here’s a map of the future of Auckland’s rapid transport network, in the style of the tube.
The future alignments of the light rail lines and busways are taken from the various sources listed at the bottom of this post. The ‘Waikato Regional’ line (using the TfL Rail line design from the tube map) is displayed assuming the upcoming five year trial Auckland / Hamilton commuter service is successful and that the service is extended into Britomart via Newmarket. I imagine that this will happen, although it’s probably more likely to be directed along the eastern track due to track constraints and so miss Newmarket, despite Newmarket being a main bus hub.
I used a very small gradient for the main lines through Britomart to show that they continue as a different service (Southern to Eastern; Western to Onehunga). I don’t know how legible this would be on a printed map though…
To really show how transformational these coming projects will be, here are (less polished) versions of the map for now and five years time:
Like I said in the post about my last Auckland map, Auckland really needs a full system map showing what is coming. It’s going be an exciting process with all this change, but so many people don’t yet know that Auckland is on the verge of having a proper metro system of heavy rail, busway, ferry, and light rail.
Sources
Light rail stations and alignment:
https://www.greaterauckland.org.nz/2018/05/15/light-rail-alignments/ (this Greater Auckland post features some images showing route alignments from NZTA and AT business cases and reports)
https://www.transport.govt.nz/assets/Uploads/Land/Documents/7bbf7cd0db/ATAP2018.pdf
Eastern busway stations and alignment:
https://at.govt.nz/media/1972491/ameti-updated-operational-scheme-planscompressed-1.pdf
https://at.govt.nz/media/1978268/ameti-eastern-busway-stage-2-design-plans-oct-2018.pdf
https://at.govt.nz/media/1978267/ameti-eastern-busway-stage-2-design-plans-with-features-oct-2018.pdf
https://at.govt.nz/media/1978266/ameti-eastern-busway-stage-3-residential-design-oct-2018.pdf
https://at.govt.nz/media/1978265/ameti-eastern-busway-stage-3-residential-design-plans-with-features-oct-2018.pdf
https://at.govt.nz/media/1978466/ameti-stage3-commercial-and-business-section.pdf
Airport to Puhinui busway:
https://at.govt.nz/projects-roadworks/airport-to-botany-rapid-transit/
Northern busway extensions:
https://www.nzta.govt.nz/projects/the-western-ring-route/auckland-northern-corridor/
https://www.transport.govt.nz/assets/Uploads/Land/Documents/7bbf7cd0db/ATAP2018.pdf
Rosedale Station:
https://www.nzta.govt.nz/projects/the-western-ring-route/auckland-northern-corridor/rosedale-busway-station/
City Rail Link stations and future operating pattern:
https://www.cityraillink.co.nz/stations
https://www.cityraillink.co.nz/crls-benefits
Caffeinated Maps 
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