#rail map

I think this is the best map I’ve ever made.

An Intercity Rail Network for Mexico

Mexico currently has one intercity rail line—the Copper Canyon route from Chihuahua to Los Mochis. This is my vision for if the country constructed a national network on the scale of Amtrak. Gray routes would operate frequently, solid maroon routes would have a few trips per day (similar to Amtrak’s regional trains in the Midwest), and hollow maroon routes would run once per day, timed so that any overnight service would be through localities already served by regional trains.

A few disclaimers: I’m not from Mexico, and I haven’t spent much time in Mexico. (I’m from New Mexico, which I promise is quite different.) I’ve based these patterns based on observed population distributions and in a few cases (including Cabo San Lucas and Cancún) on tourist attractions. In addition, this was primarily not based around existing rail lines, and so this would be an undeniably expensive network to construct. I’m not saying it’s feasible—it’s just an optimistic fantasy.

Map of the Skamat Lakeside Area Rail, centered around the downtown loop of Skamat, Dallas (a country on Venus, yes related to Dallas, Texas, Earth). This rail does have connections with another cities system, but that is not shown here.

The drawing shows the two rail-served levels at Bishopsgate. The upper drawing shows the plan at viaduct level, and the lower shows the street level with sub-surface lines marked on too. The angle in the brickwork which Graham queried in yesterday’s photo signifies the beginning of the northernmost siding of the yard (or field as the GE would have it) which served the ‘Continental Bank’ – one of the outer banks or platforms at the depot. It was so named as it was originally for continental traffic received from and sent to Harwich and Parkston Quay. The drawing must be dated post-1909 as St. John Street was been renamed Grimsby Street that year, and the position of the angle in the viaduct is clear.