A metro map looks simple — coloured lines, named stations, a few interchange dots — but a handful of conventions make it genuinely useful once you know what to look for.

Lines, not trains

Every colour is a line with a fixed pair of terminals — “From” and “To.” In Delhi, the Blue Line runs Dwarka Sector 21 to Noida / Vaishali; in Bengaluru the Purple Line runs Whitefield to Challaghatta. Lines have a status: operational (running), upcoming (approved / under construction) or proposed. The atlas colours each line consistently and marks the status with a pill so you know what you can ride today versus what is planned.

Stations — the four kinds

  • Origin — the first station on that line. Good to know when you need the first train direction.
  • Terminal / Terminus — the other end. The line ends here; you will need to interchange or exit.
  • Station — a regular stop. Trains halt briefly and move on.
  • Interchange — a station that appears on two or more lines. This is the one that matters for changing lines. On this atlas, interchange stations get a saffron dot on the route stop table and a dedicated “Connecting lines & interchanges” card on line pages.

Interchanges — where the network does its work

Interchanges are stations shared by name across lines in the same city — Kashmere Gate (Red + Yellow + Violet in Delhi), Majestic / MG Road (Purple + Green in Bengaluru), Ameerpet (Red + Blue in Hyderabad). On each line page, the atlas lists up to four interchanges with the connecting line names and colours so you can plan changes without memorising the whole network.

Time, frequency and the fine print

Each line page shows an estimated travel time (haversine distance × a metro-speed factor), peak and off-peak frequency (e.g. “2–5 min” vs “8–12 min”), first and last train, and a note about overnight service. Frequencies are published by the operator and vary by day and direction — use the operator’s timetable for the exact train you need; the atlas gives you the planning window.

How to use this atlas to plan

  1. Start at Metro by city and pick the city.
  2. Open the network, scan the line cards — distance, stations and status.
  3. Open the line: read the ordered stop list, spot your origin and destination, check the interchanges if you need to change, then confirm first and last train.
  4. Use the “Explore other lines” grid if you need an alternative route, or the map’s Line Legend to see how the lines sit on the city.

One last tip: station sequences for operational lines come from OpenStreetMap subway relations where available, so the order is reliable. For upcoming lines like Bengaluru Blue Line, coordinates are corridor anchors until the operator publishes station-centre coordinates — the order is correct, the precise pin is provisional.