Transportation

The ‘Namewashing’ of Public Transit

D.C.’s Metro plans to raise extra revenue by having companies buy naming rights for public transit stations. But corporate “namewashing” may not be easy money.

What's in a name? A plan to rename Metro stations in D.C. for corporate sponsors has hit some resistance.Jonathan Ernst/Reuters

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By Kriston Capps

November 25, 2019 at 11:27 AM EST

On November 21, the board of Washington, D.C.’s Metro planned to announce the sale of naming rights to one the system’s newest subway stations. Specifically, Metro would rename the Innovation Center station, now being built in the D.C. suburb of Herndon in Fairfax County, Virginia, after an as-yet-unidentified Fortune 500 company. The station, which is set to open in summer 2020, is one of six new stations on Metro’s Silver Line that are in the works.

But it seems like Metro forgot to consult Fairfax County. Virginia officials were caught off guard and objected to the idea, and last week Metro caved on the scheme to rename the Innovation Center station, which is so named because it’s right next to the Center for Innovative Technology. Local leaders and Metro worked out all the names for the Silver Line extension years ago, through lengthy (and public) debates.

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Before it’s here, it’s on the Bloomberg Terminal

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