The Challenge
The Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT) is working in cooperation with government entities and partners on plans to extend the Washington Metro system 23.1 miles through the rapidly growing Dulles Corridor in Northern Virginia. The new Metro line will expand the reach of the existing regional rail system to the busy Tysons Corner retail and office area and, eventually, to Dulles International Airport. In addition, it will offer a viable alternative to automobile travel and support future development along the corridor.
Dulles Transit Partners, LLC (DTP), comprised of Bechtel Infrastructure, Inc., and Washington Group International, is leading the engineering, construction and project management of the new Metrorail service. Due to the large-scale transportation problems in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area, this project has high visibility among residents, the media and policy makers, and needed a strategic communication and media relations platform to continue moving the project forward.
The Solution
APCO Worldwide (APCO) was hired by DTP to provide a broad range of strategic communication and media relations support to elevate public and media education of the Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project.
APCO provided a range of ongoing communication activities that include:
- Research on community views on growth, traffic congestion and the project, as well as messages and themes.
- Web site reconstruction and graphic support to position the project’s online medium as a public resource and information hub.
- Proactive public relations to positively leverage and impact the public’s perspective of the project through its many stages of progress.
- Development of a crisis communication plan for the project’s construction phase.
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- Daily monitoring of media coverage of the project and transportation issues.
- Rapid response – through releases, op-eds or letters to the editor – to negative columns or stories.
- Creation of graphic materials, such as maps, report covers, hardhat stickers, logo and project posters.
The Result
The Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project continues to move through the engineering and design phase and the government review process with extensive support in the community and among key elected officials and policy makers. Federal, state and local funding for the project remains on track with construction slated to begin in 2007.
Services Provided
- Coalition Building
- Creative services
- Crisis management
- Government relations
- Internal communication
- Issue management
- Media relations
- Online communication
- Opinion research
- Positioning
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As we work to bring Washington’s Metrorail to the booming business and residential centers of Northern Virginia, APCO has consistently provided invaluable, thoughtful and responsive counsel across a spectrum of important areas. APCO’s high-quality work enables us to communicate our messages more effectively to business leaders, policymakers, the media and other important stakeholders.
