16 of the 25 official station names announced today for Metro’s new East End and Southeast light-rail lines and North Line extension include slashes. No, you won’t need to choose between Cesar Chavez and 67th Street: The Cesar Chavez/67th St. station will honor both. Same for MacGregor Park/MLK. The term “EaDo” has made it on to a station name — but only as part of the EaDo/Stadium team — not to be called “EaDo Stadium” of course, since Spanish bank BBVA Compass just paid a lot of money for the exclusive naming rights to the new soccer venue.
A few other station names you’ll want to be careful with:
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Eastwood appears in 2 station names — Lockwood/Eastwood on the East End Line and Eastwood TC at the stubbed-out end of the future University Line. There’s a Leeland/Third Ward and an Elgin/Third Ward station on the Southeast Line. Also, you’ll want to avoid telling anyone you’ll meet them at the “UH” station — would that be Robertson Stadium/UH/TSU (2 slashes!) or UH South/University Oaks on the Southeast Line, or the existing UH-Downtown station on the North Line? The North Line is adding a second HCC stop, but it’s far north of Ensemble/HCC, at Northline TC/HCC. (Northline is on the North Line, fortunately; that’s “Transit Center/Houston Community College” for you newbies.) A few of the new slashified station names are downright intriguing: Coffee Plant/Second Ward and Altic/Howard Hughes, for example: What’ll be hiding there?
Wish Metro had consulted you before making these choices? It did. Which suggestions were yours?
- Previously on Swamplot: Metro Asks for Help Coming Up with Names for Already Named Light Rail Stations
Map: Metro
Even more than any of the station names, I’m intrigued by Metro’s “Capitol Programs” department.
It’s inevitable, everybody wants to be on the station name. While I was living in DC, the nearby U Street Metro stop became its current “U Street/African-American Civil War Memorial/Cardozo.” Give it ten years and see just how long they can get.
The East End names, in particular, serve as a good example of why asking the public for suggestions isn’t always a good idea.
this is just dumb
I lived in DC for a time as well, and they are the king of Hyphens not slashes. Everyone tried to cram onto the Metro Station name there. Adams Morgan-Woodley Park-Zoo, was another example. I guess I never realized that the third ward was also north of 45? Always thought it was on the UH side of 45.
And then they have to translate to Spanish passengers, which means almost non-stop yapping by the computer while onboard. I would’ve preferred a more minimalist approach.
“Eastwood TC at the stubbed-out end of the future University Line” – So are they going to go ahead and build that stubbed out portion? I would be all for it to get the construction done around UH at one time, but would anything actually run on that portion? Almost more of a tram to ride from the intramural fields to the stadium?
It would be the nicest parking shuttle for gamedays OF ALL TIME.
Wards existed long before freeways. The Heights, Montrose, Third, Fourth and Fifth wards were all gutted for right a ways for the freeways.
Yeah I’m another person that use to live in DC. You have the New York Ave/Florida Ave/Galludet University metro station. There are several more in addition to the ones listed already. I do not believe DART does this. Could be wrong.
You know who has great station name? Boston. I lived by Back Bay. Not Back Bay/South End/Copley Square/Hancock Tower, just “Back Bay.” Good old sensible Yankee simplicity.
Stations shouldn’t have “names” aside from the central focus station where all of the lines connect.
Just use numbers and directional letters, starting with, for example, “1N” for the first station immediately north of the center station, and continue onwards. Makes it easy to deal with station identification, changes to the line, changes to the names of the area/sites around the station, and avoids controversy.
Very PC of them.
I just wish they would make lines for commuters. For example Katy, Galveston, Woodlands etc to downtown. For the years that I’ve lived in Houston, I have never used Metro. When I lived in the DC-Metro area (2000-2005) I took buses and rode the Metro daily (Red Line from Shady Grove to Rockville and Bethesda). I put a total of 5,000 miles on my car in that time span. My annual mileage here is around 25,000.
It’s never made any sense to me to run the lines (and proposed ones) how they are currently. It’s really common sense which apparently Metro has very little of…
Aren’t those suburban areas pretty well served by commuter buses and park and rides right now?
I like “EaDoSta” (accent on ‘Stay.’)
If I send Metro a $100 check, can I get the naming rights to one of the stations?
Atrocious, all of it. I can’t believe they still went with “Palm Center TC.” That’s what’s going to be on the front of the trains — all of the trains — heading in that direction.
The lines for commuters are the walled HOV lanes in the middle of the freeways that METRO has built for years.
The actually named a station “coffee plant”? Good grief Charlie Brown!
I am wondering if Metro will run a shuttle to/from the Palm Center Station and Hobby Airport plus ditto for the Northline TC and Bush Airport?