As a brief penultimate bookend to the Metro Story and reflecting on the work to date, I thought a quick skip through the period, using maps, might be of interest.
I, like many people, love a good map. As a child I would often spend hours poring over maps, looking at atlases, road maps, climate maps, mineral maps, topological maps. We are clearly a culture that likes maps, and they can take on iconic status. John Speed’s[1] maps and Hereford’s Mappa Mundi[2] are well known, but perhaps more relevant, the London Underground map has become a benchmark in transport cartography.
One can’t talk about Metro without a little discussion of maps.
So briefly in this chapter, I cover:
8.1 Maps to sell a vision
The function of all the Metro maps I was involved in, was not to present an accurate or definitive representation of any particular manifestation of Metro. The various maps (and there have been many more than I have set out below, including elsewhere in this book) demonstrate how the South Wales Metro concept has and continues to morph. The maps were a means to stimulate a conversation, to enable people to look at where they were located on it, or to point out that they were not on it and needed to be. No discussion of whether we needed a Metro, just everyone making sure they were on the “network”, no matter how illustrative. I think this help build support for the Metro concept and developing vision.
It was Marc Jennings, an independent graphic designer (introduced to me by John Osmond[3]), who took my early scrawls and PowerPoint drafts and prepared the first Metro map for the Cardiff Capital Region that began to permeate the public imagination, and which appeared in my first Metro report in 2011[4] Figure 93 Figure 94. He also took my sketches to help illustrate the need to invest in the GWML/SWML corridor from Cardiff to London Figure 95. The independent Metro Consortium, which I led, prepared a follow up report[5] to the 2011 report which was launched at a conference hosted by Cardiff Business School and managed by the Institute of Welsh Affairs (IWA)[6] in March 2013. That report contained more Metro maps Figure 96 Figure 97.
In 2012, the southeast Wales Integrated Transport Task Force, which combined SEWTA and Welsh Government, was commissioned by the WG Minster then responsible for Transport, Carl Sargeant. Work was undertaken by Arup and the report was published in Spring 2013 which contained another version of the Metro map Figure 98 . This was just after responsibility for Transport had been transferred to Minister Edwina Hart and just as I was about to be commissioned by her to lead the Metro Impact Study. At about the same time SEWTA published a further map as part of its final rail strategy Figure 99; I think this map also manifest one of the issues SEWTA faced, in that there was very little proposed in Cardiff itself (apart from a new Crwys rd. station and at St Fagans) with no mention of more strategic opportunities in the city raised in the late 1990s and revisited in later studies and development.
Figure 93 Cardiff Metro Map, from M Barry’s 2011 report (M Jennings)
Figure 94 Cardiff Metro Map from M Barry’s 2011 report (M Jennings)
Figure 95 SWML/GWML Corridor from M Barrys 2011 report (M Jennings)
Figure 96 Update of the 2011 Cardiff Metro Map for the 2013 Metro Report
Figure 97 Metro Illustration prepared from March 2013 Metro Consortium Report
Figure 98 Future SE Wales Integrated Transport Potential Future Network 2013[7]
Figure 99 SEWTA 2013 Rail Strategy (Jacobs) – Long Term Plans
Later, Alex Frew of Smorgasbord worked to turn my sketches at Welsh Government into perhaps the more well known Metro map Figure 100 originally produced for Edwina Hart’s Cardiff Capital Region Board[8] (which I sat on informally in my role at Welsh Government from 2013-2015) and its February 2015 publication “Powering up the Welsh Economy[9]” I also shared further Metro scrawls Figure 101 as this map was further developed Figure 102
As I set out, I drew most of my Metro maps to illustrate connectedness and to build support for the vision. As an example, in early 2015, the recently published CCR Metro map caused some consternation in the Senedd when Nick Ramsay MS noted the omission of Monmouth in a question to the FM. Officials asked me what we could to in terms of Metro development to address this omission. I picked up my pencil and drew a link on the map to Monmouth and suggested we just reprint a future version of “the map” with Monmouth on it. No Transport planning needed. We did, it was re-published, and everyone was happy; it eventually took on the form Figure 103 that was published in October 2015 as part of “Rolling out our Metro”. It’s been through a few iterations since.
There have been many others – most of which did not reach the public domain. The two most notable examples perhaps are the overall Metro plan Figure 104 prepared as part of an unpublished draft Metro Strategic Implementation Plan in 2014. I also commissioned an illustration of a possible Light Rail conversion of the Rhymney Line, which was subject to some assessment and development during 2015 Figure 105.
Figure 100 From Cardiff Capital Region Report, 2015 “Powering up the Welsh Economy”
Figure 101 Example of my scrawls and updates during 2015
Figure 102 Another variation of the Metro Map used in internal WG briefings in 2015
Figure 103 An update for “Rolling out our Metro in October 2015
Figure 104 Metro plan from “unpublished ” WG Metro Strategic Implementation plan in 2014
Figure 105 Illustration (never used) of a possible Rhymney Line LR conversion May 2015
Aside from the Metro, other maps related to regional connectivity have also been developed over the period. Perhaps the two most relevant are for Cardiff Crossrail in 2019 Figure 106 and the Western Gateway 2050 Rail Vision[10] from 2023 Figure 107. Also, worth referring back to the maps used in the Cardiff Business Partnership submissions[11] to the Westminster Transport Committee in 2011 Figure 109 Figure 110 as some of the key features of those earlier maps flowed into the Western Gateway Vision and were also presented in some of the maps prepared for the Cardiff Capital Region Passenger Rail Vision[12] in 2021 Figure 108 Figure 111 . Some of this content also flowed from earlier work and maps – for example SEWTA re new stations and services on the SWML line set out in its rail strategies.
Maps are crucially important, and I suspect there would be no Metro without the various Metro maps produced since 2011.
Figure 106 CCC Cardiff Crossrail Illustration (2019)
Figure 107 Western Gateway 2050 Rail Vision (Arup 2023)
Figure 108 From 2021 CCR Rail Vision – Integrated Metros along the SWML/GWML
Figure 109 M Barry CBP – GWML Vision (for Transcom 2011)
Figure 110 M Barry CBP, GWML/SWML & Integrated Metros (for Transcom 2011)
Figure 111 CCR Passenger Rail Vision (2021)- Priority Interventions
8.2 Maps to guide passengers
We now need to consider what sort of Metro maps we need in future. In so doing we first need to be clear on the purpose of the map. Until now, as set out above it’s been part of the advocacy campaign to communicate vision, and secure funding and commitment for an ambitious Metro and parts thereof.
However, once built we need to focus on what it means to passengers, and what information they need. This is a very different requirement demanding a very different map. As a passenger, I want to know the extent of the network, where different services operate, what mode it is, and how often it runs (so the frequency). I might also be interested in where I can change services (so interchange to other rail and bus services), and at a station, what sort things are within easy reach (e.g., parks, hospitals, shops, museums, schools, etc), and whether I can park and/or recharge my car, whether there is a toilet, etc.
The most important is where does the service go, what stations does it serve and the frequency of services and hours of operation. In general, I think most transport agencies cover the first two pretty well, but often ignore the service frequency. For example, the interim Metro Map in use by Transport for Wales until May 2023 Figure 112, showed routes and stations. It did not show individual services or frequency, or what interchange options may exist (rail and/or bus) at each station. So, a passenger would not have known how many Metro trains will stop at Danescourt, or even where they went. Each station on the map looks the same, so one could be forgiven for expecting the same service at every station. Whilst this was only a “holding map” for TfW, many other places have this kind of map as the default.
Figure 112 Transport for Wales Metro Map June 2023
We need maps that convey additional information like routes, service frequencies, etc that ensures passengers are better informed. This greater legibility helps peoples understanding of the “transport offer”. Jarrett Walker (who gets a lot of references in this book) wrote an insightful article on this subject in 2010[13] which led to an upgrade of Seattle’s transit map Figure 114 . That upgrade introduced a graphical means, using line thickness, to communicate the frequency of bus services in King County, Seattle; a simple but effective means of conveying important passenger information.
Another important consideration is how spatial and navigation information is presented. Prof Kate Jeffrey, who researches the neuroscience of navigation, appeared on a Freewheeling podcast[14] to discuss how different people navigate, and the characteristics of and differences between map and route-based navigation. Different people like information in different forms. I like spatial data presented in maps, many others don’t and prefer a list of instruction.
We ultimately need to satisfy both, and I know that the TfW team (Marie Daly, Neil James, Mark Hedley, Colin Lea and colleagues) are grappling with this challenge, and looking at other systems as exemplars; for example, the Manchester Metrolink network map Figure 115 which clearly delineates services, stations, interchanges, etc.
One of the considerations in map design is whether or not you represent service frequency information. For example, given every Metrolink station has a “turn up and go” service frequency of at least 5tph (so max wait is 12 mins), then frequency information is less useful. In contrast, in Seattle King County Figure 114 where bus services are either frequent all-day services, less frequent all-day services or peak time only services, frequency information is much more useful as waits can range from less than 15 minutes to over an hour.
The ongoing work of San Francisco’s Metropolitan Transportation Commission[15] with respect to transit mapping standards in 2024 may also provide a good template for us in the Cardiff Capital Region. Thanks to Jarrett Walker for pointing out this work[16] which again stressed the importance of service frequency and communicating that information in a consistent manner across all modes and operators.
In June 2024, TfW issued a new more “Metro like” map Figure 113 to support its new timetable. This, for the first time, delineates service groups, identifies bus interchanges and park and ride stations, and improves legibility for passengers. Although at this stage it is not yet supported by 4tph Metro frequency on every line so there is no clarity on exactly how frequent services are at each station (and at this stage many are still at 2tph) and line thickness does not correspond to service frequency.
By the time the South Wales Metro is fully operational, I anticipate this new map will be tweaked again – especially as by mid-2026 we will have Metro services of at least 4tph operating across the vast majority of the network (the only exceptions will be the City and Coryton Lines in Cardiff which will still be operating a suboptimal 2tph). The truth is you need Metro services before a Metro map attains maximum utility.
I also hope we will see a large format combined rail /bus Metro map hung in a prominent position inside both the new Cardiff Bus Interchange and Central Station. Passengers need to see where they are and where they are going spatially to help plan their trips.
Figure 113 TfW Metro Map June 2024
Figure 114 Seattle King County Transit Map pre/post its “Walker frequency” upgrade
Figure 115 Manchester Metrolink Network
References
[1] John Speed was a famous 17th Century English cartographer and historian.
[2] The Largest Medieval Map | Mappa Mundi Hereford (themappamundi.co.uk)
[3] Jon Osmond, journalist and former director of the Institute of Welsh Affairs (founded by Geraint Talfan Davies and Keith James in 1987))
[4] Mark Barry IWA/CBP, 2011, “A Metro for Wales Capital City Region – Connecting Cardiff, Newport and the Valleys” iwa-Metroreport.pdf
[5] Mark Barry, Metro Consortium, IWA 2013, A Cardiff City Region Metro: transform | regenerate | connect
Metro-Consortium-WEB-REDUCED.pdf (iwa.wales)
[6] Institute of Welsh Affairs, History – Institute of Welsh Affairs (iwa.wales)
[7] The SE Wales Integrated Transport Task Force commissioned by the WG in 2012
[8] Written Statement – Cardiff Capital Region Board – Next Steps (11 December 2015) | GOV.WALES
[9] Cardiff City Region Board, Welsh Government 2015, “Powering up the Welsh Economy” 5-Cardiff-Capital-Region-Board.pdf (monmouthshire.gov.uk)
[10] Arup, Western Gateway 2050 Rail Vision, Western Gateway Rail_Vision_2050
[11] Mark Barry CBP submission #1, June 2011 House of Commons – Transport Committee – Written Evidence
Mark Barry CBP submission #2, June 2011 House of Commons – Transport Committee – Written Evidence
[12] Mark Barry, CCR, Rail Passenger Vision 2021, CCR passenger-rail-vision-final.pdf
[13] Jarrett Walker, 2010, The Case for Frequency Mapping — Human Transit
[14] Prof Kate Jeffrey, Kate Jeffery lab
Freewheeling Podcast 2021, Professor Kate Jeffery on the Neuroscience of Navigation — Freewheeling
[15] Metropolitan Transportation Commission | MTC is the transportation planning, financing and coordinating agency for the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area. (ca.gov)
[16] Jarrett Walker Blog, Sep 2024, San Francisco Bay Area: A Consistent Regional Mapping Standard? — Human Transit
MTC Regional Network Management Council, Sep 2024, Meeting Agenda (ca.gov)