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First seen from the train at stations between Cardiff and Gloucester (Feb 2008) and subsequently found on web site.
The previous map is better in a lot of respects.
You'd think ATW would have a well-defined policy on the presentation of bilingual place names, previously they have used the ATW blue house colour for the Welsh spelling, but here it is just in the same font making things very unclear. And the line feed is too small so that letters in different lines touch.
Where the Cambrian line splits at Dovey Junction the map uses a curved line but elsewhere all junctions are at right-angles or angular. Inconsistent representations at junctions: the Llandudno Junction layout suggests direct services Bangor-Llandudno and Ffestiniog-Colwyn Bay; other branch lines split at the junction station (Whitland). There is no clear segregation of routes at Shotton.
Warrington and Wilmslow appear to be close to each other as these routes are shown almost parallel - and there's all that blank space top right that could be used to give a better impression.
Lack of 'other lines'. Why go to Bidston? For Liverpool!
Where is Gloucester? Cheltenham should be Cheltenham Spa and Warrington Bank Quay.
Unequal spacing between Shrewesbury and Birmingham, and with a little thought the Shrewesbury caption could have been placed top right of its station circle instead of being placed in that cramped 45º space.
Cardiff, one of ATW's main hubs could have at least shown Queen Street as well as Central - and the Valleys are a mess, no Pontypridd or Caerphilly?
And vertical captions when there's all that space to the right begging to be used? No statement that 'all stations not shown'.
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I've often been disappointed at how multiple languages are presented, particularly on signs, where a simple choice of spacing, font or colour could make them much more readable and immediate.
ATW fail on multi-lingual presentation too.
So I've created a Welsh only network map. with translations and inspiration gratefully received from Phil Wilks, Kijog and Geraint Rowlands.
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Merthyr Tuyfil spelt wrong in English, should be Tydfil.
Bad non-45º angle on Crewe - Warrington line.
Wherever or whenever I saw the main Arriva Trains Wales map, I was always immediately drawn to the fact that the island of Anglesey had a hard edge when the mainland coast had a soft edge. I think the hard edge is correct, as people don't usually think of a coastline as soft. Llandudno and Bidston look like there in the sea! Deliberate decision or careless mistake?
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