matt plays subway builder
@subways.pahuski.com
Building a new system for Philadelphia and beyond. All aboard!
Trains here. Main feed: @m.pahuski.com
Trains here. Main feed: @m.pahuski.com
I promise to not build anything else on my side of the Delaware until South Jersey finally gets some love. Just can't decide if I want to terminate in Camden/go over the Delair for something more realistic or find a nice spot to tunnel under
January 3, 2026 at 8:45 PM
I promise to not build anything else on my side of the Delaware until South Jersey finally gets some love. Just can't decide if I want to terminate in Camden/go over the Delair for something more realistic or find a nice spot to tunnel under
Here's the current overview of the network
January 3, 2026 at 7:18 PM
Here's the current overview of the network
Been a while and I need the distraction. Guess we're getting the Norristown High Speed Line done today. Might four-track the MFL while I'm at it, too.
January 3, 2026 at 6:37 PM
Been a while and I need the distraction. Guess we're getting the Norristown High Speed Line done today. Might four-track the MFL while I'm at it, too.
got the full route done. no through-routing possibility at the moment, but it would be very easy to unite the 101/102 and the Girard Avenue line. next up will be squeezing in the NHSL
November 16, 2025 at 7:50 PM
got the full route done. no through-routing possibility at the moment, but it would be very easy to unite the 101/102 and the Girard Avenue line. next up will be squeezing in the NHSL
This afternoon: finally getting around to the Red Arrow trolleys, then figured it might be worth it to also extend the Girard el to 69th, too. Need to plan everything out well because the Norristown High Speed Line also has to fit in. Also thinking about the old Red Arrow Route 104 to West Chester.
November 15, 2025 at 9:44 PM
This afternoon: finally getting around to the Red Arrow trolleys, then figured it might be worth it to also extend the Girard el to 69th, too. Need to plan everything out well because the Norristown High Speed Line also has to fit in. Also thinking about the old Red Arrow Route 104 to West Chester.
9 is the full route, 4 is the old Chestnut Hill West to Center City via the Callowhill Cut route (now cut back to Mon-Sat daytime service, Broad-Ridge Spur sort of hours)
November 12, 2025 at 5:00 PM
9 is the full route, 4 is the old Chestnut Hill West to Center City via the Callowhill Cut route (now cut back to Mon-Sat daytime service, Broad-Ridge Spur sort of hours)
In addition to the Center City tunnel that copies the real thing, there's now a mirror version. The new crosstown route is Chestnut Hill West to the Sports Complex via 29th Street and Delaware Ave
November 12, 2025 at 4:50 PM
In addition to the Center City tunnel that copies the real thing, there's now a mirror version. The new crosstown route is Chestnut Hill West to the Sports Complex via 29th Street and Delaware Ave
got around to building a version of the Center City tunnel and produced two more crosstown routes. might keep the weird terminals around for rush hour overflow service.
November 12, 2025 at 4:04 AM
got around to building a version of the Center City tunnel and produced two more crosstown routes. might keep the weird terminals around for rush hour overflow service.
Hell yeah, road labels! They look great. Kind of got scared about the river depth constraints, but none of my crossings violated the rules.
November 4, 2025 at 5:11 PM
Hell yeah, road labels! They look great. Kind of got scared about the river depth constraints, but none of my crossings violated the rules.
Haven't figured out exactly where it's going north of Girard (maybe Fox Chase?) but why not another subway for South Philly? Think of the easy access to cannoli
November 3, 2025 at 9:20 PM
Haven't figured out exactly where it's going north of Girard (maybe Fox Chase?) but why not another subway for South Philly? Think of the easy access to cannoli
Branches will recreate the modern NJT River Line, plus one that runs up the Marlton Pike through the Cherry Hill and Moorestown Malls, then to Mount Laurel Township.
November 1, 2025 at 6:12 PM
Branches will recreate the modern NJT River Line, plus one that runs up the Marlton Pike through the Cherry Hill and Moorestown Malls, then to Mount Laurel Township.
South Jersey is calling to me. Or is that just a craving for pork roll?
November 1, 2025 at 5:39 PM
South Jersey is calling to me. Or is that just a craving for pork roll?
some zen for your Saturday afternoon
🎶"A Place in the Sun" - Casiopea
🎶"A Place in the Sun" - Casiopea
November 1, 2025 at 5:10 PM
some zen for your Saturday afternoon
🎶"A Place in the Sun" - Casiopea
🎶"A Place in the Sun" - Casiopea
The future Spectrum site was the trolley station for the Sesquicentennial Expo. I've been exploring the idea of another South Philly subway routing as if built mid-20s, this would be a natural terminus. Would give a bit of Penn Station/MSG flavor to the alternate history Spectrum.
November 1, 2025 at 4:47 PM
The future Spectrum site was the trolley station for the Sesquicentennial Expo. I've been exploring the idea of another South Philly subway routing as if built mid-20s, this would be a natural terminus. Would give a bit of Penn Station/MSG flavor to the alternate history Spectrum.
Here's the final alignment I'm going with for this. Imagined as if this were built around 1970-80s, during the brief US transit boom that gave us WMATA, MARTA, etc. The line came in over I-76, around Veterans Stadium, before terminating at an elevated complex next to the Spectrum and JFK Stadium.
November 1, 2025 at 4:40 PM
Here's the final alignment I'm going with for this. Imagined as if this were built around 1970-80s, during the brief US transit boom that gave us WMATA, MARTA, etc. The line came in over I-76, around Veterans Stadium, before terminating at an elevated complex next to the Spectrum and JFK Stadium.
Rerouted the final approach to be more friendly to future buildings being added. Would be interesting to pull up old maps and rebuild the line as if it were built around the same time as JFK Stadium with the pre-I-76 constraints (presumably that would just be straight down Oregon to 10th or Broad)
November 1, 2025 at 2:46 PM
Rerouted the final approach to be more friendly to future buildings being added. Would be interesting to pull up old maps and rebuild the line as if it were built around the same time as JFK Stadium with the pre-I-76 constraints (presumably that would just be straight down Oregon to 10th or Broad)
The Airport Line terminal platform at Market East had a spare track, so I terminated it there to maximize transfers for now. Appropriately for Halloween night, this sets up the possibility of an extremely cursed one-seat South Philly to airport route.
November 1, 2025 at 1:36 AM
The Airport Line terminal platform at Market East had a spare track, so I terminated it there to maximize transfers for now. Appropriately for Halloween night, this sets up the possibility of an extremely cursed one-seat South Philly to airport route.
not sure if Phillies fans or Mets fans will be more upset about the temporary route branding that I've decided on until I figure out where to send this line
November 1, 2025 at 12:50 AM
not sure if Phillies fans or Mets fans will be more upset about the temporary route branding that I've decided on until I figure out where to send this line
still have some things to decide, but the Delaware Avenue elevated is coming to life
November 1, 2025 at 12:25 AM
still have some things to decide, but the Delaware Avenue elevated is coming to life
One thing I like about this is that by having a standard stripe on the signage template, you can tweak it for special stations. Here's an example for Temple, while the effect with Penn is a bit subtler due to the color similarity.
October 31, 2025 at 11:39 PM
One thing I like about this is that by having a standard stripe on the signage template, you can tweak it for special stations. Here's an example for Temple, while the effect with Penn is a bit subtler due to the color similarity.
Inspired by the Chicago 'L' bicentennial scheme and the upcoming semiquincentennial, I think we have to go red-white-blue on the stripes. Line bullets move all the way to the right.
October 31, 2025 at 8:06 PM
Inspired by the Chicago 'L' bicentennial scheme and the upcoming semiquincentennial, I think we have to go red-white-blue on the stripes. Line bullets move all the way to the right.
Rough signage concept for stations on circle/number lines. Stripes inspired by NJ Transit (as seen by one color scheme option). In the universe of this save, these lines will be part of a private competitor to the city-owned Philadelphia Municipal Transit Co., but I haven't yet thought up a name.
October 31, 2025 at 7:23 PM
Rough signage concept for stations on circle/number lines. Stripes inspired by NJ Transit (as seen by one color scheme option). In the universe of this save, these lines will be part of a private competitor to the city-owned Philadelphia Municipal Transit Co., but I haven't yet thought up a name.
As in real life, Spring Garden on the Ridge spur is abandoned. Can't zoom in enough to see the graffiti, but you can assume that it's there.
October 31, 2025 at 4:47 PM
As in real life, Spring Garden on the Ridge spur is abandoned. Can't zoom in enough to see the graffiti, but you can assume that it's there.
Welcome to my dedicated Subway Builder feed! Come along for the ride as I recreate, enhance, and play around with the Philadelphia transit network and beyond.
October 31, 2025 at 3:57 PM
Welcome to my dedicated Subway Builder feed! Come along for the ride as I recreate, enhance, and play around with the Philadelphia transit network and beyond.