It seemed like it should be simple. Metro conducted market research and found that riders wanted short names for the 86 Metro stations in the system. The transit agency decided to take a new look at the names because it is redoing its map and three-quarters of its signs for a change to Blue Line service scheduled next summer.
But one look at the U St/African American Civil War Memorial/Cardozo station name should have warned agency officials that it wouldn’t be an easy task. Naming, it turns out, is political.
| Some options for station names |
| Metro has proposed simplifying station names to no more than 19 characters long, including new secondary names that would be listed in a smaller type below the primary name. But others have proposed various modifications. ((Secondary names are shown here in parentheses.) |
| • Navy » Navy Yard-Ballpark » Capitol Riverfront-Ballpark? |
| • King Street » King St. (Old Town) » King St.-Old Town? |
| • Forest Glen » Forest Glen-Holy Cross Hospital » Forest Glen H » Forest Glen-Holy Cross H? |
| • New York Avenue-Florida Ave-Gallaudet U » New York Ave-NoMa (Gallaudet) » NoMa-Gallaudet? |
| • Waterfront-SEU » Waterfront-Arena Stage » Waterfront? |
And 19-character names don’t seem to be able to fit all the neighborhood-university-hospital-landmark-stadium-theaters near Metro stations in this dense urban region.
Now the board of directors is slated to vote Thursday on a set of small changes to station names, after at least two Metro meetings, scores of local government and neighborhood meetings, and at least one petition.
Last week, Metro board members haggled over spaces and character limits, commercial naming rights versus equal footing from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. Representatives from local business improvement districts and a university sat in to hear the discussion that could turn their groups into Metro-certified landmarks.
It’s a shifting field. A proposal for New York Avenue-Florida Ave-Gallaudet U first called for adding NoMa in place of the Florida Ave, and putting Gallaudet as a secondary name. Metro didn’t like the name as it was too long.
But some 1,000 people who signed a petition wanted Gallaudet front and center. The university is historic, predating Union Station, and has a unique role as the only four-year college for the deaf, explained Sam Swiller, Gallaudet’s associate director of real estate and economic development. “We feel it’s something this city should promote,” he said. “We’re a university, too. We shouldn’t be secondary, while everyone else is primary.”
Metro said riders didn’t like NoMa. And yet, the District is now pushing NoMa-Gallaudet, losing the New York Avenue from the name.
A similar fight has occurred over the Navy Yard station. The District discussed adding the curly W that is the Washington Nationals’ symbol to show the ballpark, then changed its request to Navy Yard-Ballpark. But the local business improvement district is pushing for Capitol Riverfront to be included.
Alexandria Mayor Bill Euille, who serves on the Metro board, said he doesn’t understand why his city can’t get Old Town added as part of the primary name to the King Street station, instead of the secondary status Metro has recommended. “We’re paying for it,” he said.
Metro’s head of customer service. Barbara Richardson, has continued to repeat: “Customers want one common name. They want these to be short,” she said.
Claire Schaefer, the Capitol Riverfront business improvement district’s deputy executive director, said she feels like Metro officials are hiding behind the 19-character limit rather than actually helping people get around. “There’s always an exception to the rule,” she said.
