What to Know
- A Metro survey found a majority liked adding National Mall to the Smithsonian station name.
- The same Metro survey found nearly 3/4 of people didn't want Kennedy Center added to the Foggy Bottom - GWU station name.
- Any signage changes must be finalized by April 30, and the District is responsible for any costs, which could get into thousands of dollars.
Two Metro stations are one step closer to getting new -- longer -- names.
A Metro committee approved Thursday the addition of "National Mall" to the Smithsonian station name, and "Kennedy Center" to the Foggy Bottom-GWU Metro station name.
The proposal will now go before the full Metro board.
The name changes have been met with mixed reviews.
A survey commissioned by Metro found only 26 percent of respondents support a name change involving Kennedy Center. However, more than half, 54 percent, were in favor of adding National Mall to the Smithsonian Metro station name.
Patrick Duffy, a Metro rider, said with Metro's current state of affairs, a station name change should be the last thing officials think about.
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“Oh, they're terrible,” Duffy said. “I take the Blue Line going into Alexandria, and sometimes I wait 45 minutes to get on one that's not totally packed."
The District will foot the bill for the changes to station signage and pylons.
Metro says the new signage will be installed when the next phase of the Silver Line opens in a few years. That way all maps and signs can be updated at once. Any signage changes must be finalized by April 30.
