The Washington Metro wants feedback on whether to rename the White Flint Metrorail station to better align with changes in the surrounding community over the last few years.
Metro’s board of directors said Tuesday that Montgomery County, Maryland, officials had consulted with business and community leaders and requested the White Flint station be renamed to North Bethesda station. Its namesake, the White Flint Mall, was bulldozed in late 2015.
An online public survey is now available where residents can share their opinions on both the old name and its proposed replacement until 5 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 28. Metro said the results will be taken into consideration before a decision is made.
Questions include whether either name is easy to remember, could be confused with other station names and portrays the surrounding location well.
Per Metro’s station naming policy, Montgomery County would have to take on the full cost of the change — including reprinting maps, fabricating new signs and reprogramming electronic displays across all 91 Metrorail stations in Maryland, D.C. and Virginia.
Metro said Montgomery County has already secured a combination of state, county and private funding to cover the expected cost.
Guidelines hold that any new station name should be relevant, brief, unique and evocative.
“We’ve learned through research that the primary purpose of station names is to help Metro customers locate destinations,” Metro policy states. “Long-lasting names in Metro’s system have typically included the names of towns, streets, intersections, neighborhoods and significant landmarks.”
