Metro is tapping into Facebook for help choosing a name for the new “virtual tunnel” planned to open by October between the two Farragut rail stations, the agency’s latest attempt to harness riders’ goodwill and get them to use social media to interact with the system. The agency set up a poll on the wall of its Facebook site, Metro Forward, on Friday asking riders to choose between five names for the proposed link that will let riders walk from one station to another without having to pay extra fare for the transfer.
The poll closes at the end of the day on Wednesday and Metro spokesman Dan Stessel promises to use whatever name gets the most votes. By Sunday evening more than 468 people had already voted, with Farragut Crossing the runaway favorite.
| 5 options for what to call the Farragut virtual tunnel |
| » Free Transfer |
| » Surface Transfer |
| » Farragut Connect |
| » Farragut Exchange |
| » Farragut Crossing |
The tunnel isn’t a physical tunnel connecting the two stations that line Farragut Square. Instead it’s a tweak to the fare system. Riders still would have to leave the stations and walk about a block, but they wouldn’t be charged for the re-entry into the system.
The transit agency already allows bus-to-rail transfers, giving riders a discount if trips are made between modes within two hours. But the Farragut tunnel would be Metro’s first outdoor rail-to-rail transfer offering.
If successful, the agency has said the same idea could be used to connect Metro Center and Gallery Place/Chinatown. But what to call such a connection without further confusing riders? The agency turned to its riders for help in July after acknowledging the term “virtual tunnel” was too wonky.
More than 120 comments were submitted via WMATA’s facebook page. Then a Metro team reviewed the options and picked five that the agency would be happy with, Stessel said.
The suggested FarraCut, Time-saver and Funnel didn’t make the cut.
Metro has been trying to be more solicitous of riders’ opinions in recent months. The agency has been conducting market research on station names and the look of its new rail cars, and asked for volunteers to help test an online farecard site.
Metro has been using tools such as YouTube for a few years but has also stepped up its use of Twitter and Facebook in recent months, boosting its followers on Twitter to more than 14,500. It even added a market researcher on staff and a social media guru to push its efforts.
“We’re considering all of our options,” Stessel said. “Facebook and Twitter are where our customers are.”
