Free Metro Map Maker

Transit maps follow a few simple rules. Track runs only horizontally, vertically or at 45 degrees, corners are rounded, and stations are spaced evenly whatever the real distance between them. Each line keeps one colour from end to end, and a station where lines meet is drawn as one larger interchange so it stands out.

This maker applies those rules for you. It finds every station shared by two or more lines, works out a layout that keeps lines straight through stations, avoids crossings where it can and leaves room for every stop, then places each station name beside its station, away from the track and the other names. Lines that share a stretch of track are drawn side by side in the same order all the way along.

Write one line per row: its name, a colon and its stations in order, separated by commas. The order matters, because each station connects to the next one. To make a loop, end the line with its first station. A station with a comma in its name goes in quotes.

A few marks add detail. An asterisk (*) in front of a station makes it a landmark, drawn like an interchange. An exclamation mark (!) marks a terminus. A number after an equals sign (Central = 12) gives a station a value, which the Value map uses to set its height. You can also paste three spreadsheet columns, line, station and value, and each line is gathered from its rows.

The subway-map format is popular for roadmaps and journeys because it shows several tracks moving forward together and the moments where they meet. A product launch works well: design, engineering, marketing and sales each get a line, and shared milestones such as Kickoff, Beta and Launch become interchanges.

For a phone screen or a video, choose the Story canvas (1080 × 1920) and a Large or Extra large text size, so station names stay readable when the image is shrunk. For timelines with dates, the timeline maker is a better fit; for a plan with dependencies, try the roadmap maker.