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I assumed this was the UK, because our rail network is the 'National Rail' network. Could the fact it's the US be added to the title? Edit: It's not just the U

I assumed this was the UK, because our rail network is the 'National Rail' network. Could the fact it's the US be added to the title? Edit: It's not just the US (!) Maybe a 'North American rail network map'?

dukoid 4y ago
https://www.openrailwaymap.org/ https://www.openrailwaymap.org/ has everything, including colorization options by speed, electrification or gauge
- Steve44 4y ago
  That's really interesting. In the UK you can cross reference with the National Library of Scotland maps[1] which allows you to overlay quite a few different maps of an area over different time periods. [1] London Kings Cross area with large rail yard to the north. By changing the transparency you can see things like ST Martins College and the new Coal Drops Yard development. The new British Library is also built over Somers Town Goods Depot. https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=16&lat=51.53529&lon=-0.12620&layers=170&b=1 https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=16&lat=51.53529&lon=-0...
- iisan7 4y ago
  would be even better if it had the ownership/trackage rights that the other map had, though, that's quite interesting.
- dom96 4y ago
  This is much better. Honestly maybe the submission link should be changed to this?
- noneeeed 4y ago
  This is great. Although looking at the UK map makes me sad, all those abandoned lines. It makes you wonder what the country would be like if we'd leaned into the rail system instead of tearing up a chunck of it following the Beaching Report. The most interesting ones for me are the additional lines that crossed the Pennines, linking the north together much better than it is today.
  - nerdponx 4y ago
    The northeast US is also dense with abandoned lines that can never be rebuilt. I assume they are not on the map because they've been built on top of or otherwise completely ripped up.
    - beerandt 4y ago
      Rails to trails is actually a (somewhat subversive) way for rail right-of-way to be legally preserved. From a practical/political standpoint, it'll be interesting to see the backlash when a railroad attempts to start exercising its right to reclaim some of these properties, which are largely and falsely believed to have become community property.
    - flyinghamster 4y ago
      Also, on OpenRailwayMap some abandoned lines only show up at very close zoom levels. I see a lot of that in Illinois.
  - midasuni 4y ago
    Not much different. Service frequencies and speeds on those lines we’re not suitable for modern day, without large capacity increase in cities they couldn’t really be increased.
  - mschuster91 4y ago
    > Although looking at the UK map makes me sad, all those abandoned lines. Germany is just as bad. Between 1994 (the begin of the privatization) and now we lost 6.200km of rail infrastructure [1] - something like 15-ish percent. My s/o and I went on a two week railroad trip through the whole of Germany. Seeing rotting or half-ass dismantled rails, former shift yards and smashed-in former other infrastructure just hurted to watch. Everything has gone downhill, there was barely any investment in upkeep of tracks and buildings, only in new construction of expensive billions-euros high speed rail... the reason is simple: DB Netz, the privatized infrastructure operator, has to pay for upkeep on their own (from usage fees) while the federal and state governments (and in some cases like the Munich S-Bahn also the counties and cities) pay for all the high-profile projects. We had so, so many industrial areas served by rail as well: in 1994, over 11.000 companies and industrial zones had their own railway attachment - today, it's barely 2.300, a reduction of 80% [2]. No wonder our highways and side roads are overcrowded with trucks. The reason for that is that unlike the US, Europe still has chain-link and buffer couplers, which means shunting yards are extremely staff-intensive to run, and shunting from and to the industrial areas is expensive as well... which means that, thanks to privatization, DB Cargo was more or less forced to shut down the industrial zone supply because the absurd losses this branch brought in could no longer be cross-subsidized by passenger rail. [1] https://www.allianz-pro-schiene.de/themen/infrastruktur/schienennetz/ https://www.allianz-pro-schiene.de/themen/infrastruktur/schi... [2] https://www.rnd.de/wirtschaft/gueterverkehr-auf-die-schiene-vielen-unternehmen-fehlt-der-gleisanschluss-JMXZ64TH3BDORD6AYIIVOGCF74.html https://www.rnd.de/wirtschaft/gueterverkehr-auf-die-schiene-...
- SECProto 4y ago
  Not everything! While it has rail lines, and abandoned rail lines, and surface light rail (streetcar/tram/trolley) lines, it is missing abandoned streetcar/trolley lines. (They existed in a lot of North American cities until the 40s-50s ish) Despite that minor absence, the map you linked is clearly superior
  - lqet 4y ago
    The map is based on OpenStreetMap data, so it's quite easy to add the abandoned streetcar and trolley lines if you know their original course.
    - SECProto 4y ago
      While I appreciate the sentiment, the OSM wiki specifically says[1] "In locations where the railway has been replaced by new buildings and roads, the mapping of such features becomes out of scope for OpenStreetMap. Historical mapping can occur on Open Historical Map." (Just checked - OHM doesn't seem to have any data whatsoever - present or historical. Maybe I don't know how to use the interface, but all I see is land/water borders) [1] https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Demolished_Railway https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Demolished_Railway
      - RicoElectrico 4y ago
        This is a source of contention with regular OSM mappers from time to time.
      - habi 4y ago
        OSM builds on verifiability. If there is nothing there ‘on the ground‘ anymore it should not be mapped.
        SECProto 4y ago
        Right. In the two cities I have personal experience with, the tracks and/or sleepers are still there, just paved over. They are evident (and briefly verifiable) when potholes develop or roadwork excavations go into those areas. Regardless of whether it's more suited to OSM or OHM, I just think it would be a neat feature to have on Open Railway Map.
OJFord 4y ago
Me too. Clickbait Case's Fault Really. (But that's present in the submission, it's not just HN's auto-clickbaitiser. (But I'll take the opportunity to say I wish it wouldn't do that anyway.))
rjmunro 4y ago
I was expecting something like one of these maps too: https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/stations_destinations/rail-maps.aspx https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/stations_destinations/rail-ma...

dukoid 4y ago

https://www.openrailwaymap.org/ https://www.openrailwaymap.org/ has everything, including colorization options by speed, electrification or gauge

Steve44 4y ago
That's really interesting. In the UK you can cross reference with the National Library of Scotland maps[1] which allows you to overlay quite a few different maps of an area over different time periods. [1] London Kings Cross area with large rail yard to the north. By changing the transparency you can see things like ST Martins College and the new Coal Drops Yard development. The new British Library is also built over Somers Town Goods Depot. https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=16&lat=51.53529&lon=-0.12620&layers=170&b=1 https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=16&lat=51.53529&lon=-0...
iisan7 4y ago
would be even better if it had the ownership/trackage rights that the other map had, though, that's quite interesting.
dom96 4y ago
This is much better. Honestly maybe the submission link should be changed to this?
noneeeed 4y ago
This is great. Although looking at the UK map makes me sad, all those abandoned lines. It makes you wonder what the country would be like if we'd leaned into the rail system instead of tearing up a chunck of it following the Beaching Report. The most interesting ones for me are the additional lines that crossed the Pennines, linking the north together much better than it is today.
- nerdponx 4y ago
  The northeast US is also dense with abandoned lines that can never be rebuilt. I assume they are not on the map because they've been built on top of or otherwise completely ripped up.
  - beerandt 4y ago
    Rails to trails is actually a (somewhat subversive) way for rail right-of-way to be legally preserved. From a practical/political standpoint, it'll be interesting to see the backlash when a railroad attempts to start exercising its right to reclaim some of these properties, which are largely and falsely believed to have become community property.
  - flyinghamster 4y ago
    Also, on OpenRailwayMap some abandoned lines only show up at very close zoom levels. I see a lot of that in Illinois.
- midasuni 4y ago
  Not much different. Service frequencies and speeds on those lines we’re not suitable for modern day, without large capacity increase in cities they couldn’t really be increased.
- mschuster91 4y ago
  > Although looking at the UK map makes me sad, all those abandoned lines. Germany is just as bad. Between 1994 (the begin of the privatization) and now we lost 6.200km of rail infrastructure [1] - something like 15-ish percent. My s/o and I went on a two week railroad trip through the whole of Germany. Seeing rotting or half-ass dismantled rails, former shift yards and smashed-in former other infrastructure just hurted to watch. Everything has gone downhill, there was barely any investment in upkeep of tracks and buildings, only in new construction of expensive billions-euros high speed rail... the reason is simple: DB Netz, the privatized infrastructure operator, has to pay for upkeep on their own (from usage fees) while the federal and state governments (and in some cases like the Munich S-Bahn also the counties and cities) pay for all the high-profile projects. We had so, so many industrial areas served by rail as well: in 1994, over 11.000 companies and industrial zones had their own railway attachment - today, it's barely 2.300, a reduction of 80% [2]. No wonder our highways and side roads are overcrowded with trucks. The reason for that is that unlike the US, Europe still has chain-link and buffer couplers, which means shunting yards are extremely staff-intensive to run, and shunting from and to the industrial areas is expensive as well... which means that, thanks to privatization, DB Cargo was more or less forced to shut down the industrial zone supply because the absurd losses this branch brought in could no longer be cross-subsidized by passenger rail. [1] https://www.allianz-pro-schiene.de/themen/infrastruktur/schienennetz/ https://www.allianz-pro-schiene.de/themen/infrastruktur/schi... [2] https://www.rnd.de/wirtschaft/gueterverkehr-auf-die-schiene-vielen-unternehmen-fehlt-der-gleisanschluss-JMXZ64TH3BDORD6AYIIVOGCF74.html https://www.rnd.de/wirtschaft/gueterverkehr-auf-die-schiene-...
SECProto 4y ago
Not everything! While it has rail lines, and abandoned rail lines, and surface light rail (streetcar/tram/trolley) lines, it is missing abandoned streetcar/trolley lines. (They existed in a lot of North American cities until the 40s-50s ish) Despite that minor absence, the map you linked is clearly superior
- lqet 4y ago
  The map is based on OpenStreetMap data, so it's quite easy to add the abandoned streetcar and trolley lines if you know their original course.
  - SECProto 4y ago
    While I appreciate the sentiment, the OSM wiki specifically says[1] "In locations where the railway has been replaced by new buildings and roads, the mapping of such features becomes out of scope for OpenStreetMap. Historical mapping can occur on Open Historical Map." (Just checked - OHM doesn't seem to have any data whatsoever - present or historical. Maybe I don't know how to use the interface, but all I see is land/water borders) [1] https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Demolished_Railway https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Demolished_Railway
    - RicoElectrico 4y ago
      This is a source of contention with regular OSM mappers from time to time.
    - habi 4y ago
      OSM builds on verifiability. If there is nothing there ‘on the ground‘ anymore it should not be mapped.
      - SECProto 4y ago
        Right. In the two cities I have personal experience with, the tracks and/or sleepers are still there, just paved over. They are evident (and briefly verifiable) when potholes develop or roadwork excavations go into those areas. Regardless of whether it's more suited to OSM or OHM, I just think it would be a neat feature to have on Open Railway Map.

OJFord 4y ago

Me too. Clickbait Case's Fault Really. (But that's present in the submission, it's not just HN's auto-clickbaitiser. (But I'll take the opportunity to say I wish it wouldn't do that anyway.))

rjmunro 4y ago

I was expecting something like one of these maps too: https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/stations_destinations/rail-maps.aspx https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/stations_destinations/rail-ma...