WTOP: Metro Considering Map Makeover

[WMATAGMOAGH]

Metro prepping map for makeover
WASHINGTON -- The multi-colored Metro map -- an instantly recognizable part of the D.C. region -- is about to change.   
  With the transit system expanding to Dulles International Airport, a possible shift in direction of the Blue Line   as it heads into D.C., and potentially longer station names (such as   Navy Yard/Ballpark), the iconic map is being prepped for a makeover.   
  "Over the next 18 months or two years, Metro is going to grow. And we   need to look at how that might have an impact on our customers and then   how that is reflected in the map," Barbara Richardson, Metro's head of   marketing, tells WTOP.   
  But Metro is very aware of the connection to its map.   
  "We know that a lot of people feel very strongly about the map, because   the map is Metro. It is iconic. And as we go forward to figure out the   best way to communicate how we are changing, we are going to keep that   in mind," Richardson says.   
  As far as how the map changes, it may not happen the way many think.   
  Contrary to popular belief, the rail extension out to Dulles   International Airport has not officially been selected as the "Silver   Line," although it is commonly called that now.   
  "I think we need to take into account that people have referred to it in   that way (though), and then put it in our planning and see where we   go," Richardson says.   
   Asked about the possibility of Metro moving away from a color-based   system and more toward a system with rail lines identified by numbers   (like in New York City), Richardson wouldn't rule out the possibility.   
  "We have not heard that, but if someone wants to send us a proposal, certainly we will take a look at it," she says. 
  Metro says it will be consulting with customers and reaching out to the public about potential changes to the Metro map. 
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