SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A commuter rail line between Auburn and Dixon seems like a project worth pursuing, the Sacramento Bee reported.
Most of the infrastructure for such a service is in place. Automobile commuters need an alternative to the miserable congestion on Interstate 80. And local officials are gung-ho about making it a reality.
There’s just one problem: the name.
As of now, the would-be line is known as the Auburn-Dixon Regional Rail Service, which does not exactly roll off the tongue. And its acronym, ADRR, sounds like the reason your kid isn’t doing very well in school.
So the four-county coalition pursuing commuter rail — service would begin in 2005 at the earliest — is holding a contest to see who can come up with the best name.
The deadline for entries is Nov. 24. The winner will receive an unlimited one-month pass on the Capitol Corridor between Auburn and Davis, a prize worth $142. That, and the satisfaction of nudging the guy next to you and saying, “See the side of that train, buddy? That was my idea,” which is priceless.
The winning entry will be announced in mid-December. For anyone looking to get a leg up on the competition, here’s a word of advice: acronyms. Transit agencies love acronyms, especially when it comes to naming commuter lines.
The Altamont Commuter Express trains between Stockton and San Jose, for example, are known as ACE trains. A proposed commuter rail line between Sonoma and Marin counties has been dubbed the SMART Train, which stands for Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit. In California alone, there’s BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit), StaRT (Stanislaus Regional Transit) and ARTS (Pasadena Area Rapid Transit System). (Let’s just hope Folsom never comes up with a similar idea.)
Following that pattern for Sacramento rail, you might come up with DART, for Dixon-Auburn Rail Transit. Or a couple of other possibilities that convey velocity, such as the Sacramento COMET (Sacramento Commuter Express Train) or the MOVER (Mountain-Valley Express Rail).
Or perhaps something that implies exemplary service, such as Sacramento Transit Regional Rail or STaR Rail.
Or something that sends a message to all those drivers idling on I-80, such as Northern California Regional Rail or NoCaRR Line.
Or something that’s just plain familiar, like the SOEL Train, short for Sacramento Overland Express Line. (Note to self: See if Don Cornelius is available in mid-December.)
Or you could step off the beaten acronym path and hatch something unique.
The Back-seat Driver, for instance, believes he has come up with the perfect solution, a name that’s both familiar and catchy, and one that captures the essence of a rail line designed to bring people to and from work.
Ladies and gentleman, I give you the “Home to Office Line,” or, for short, the H2O Line.
Finally, an idea that holds water.
E-mail entries to gerica@thehoytco.com or mail to: The Hoyt Co., Attn: Regional Rail Contest, 660 J St., Suite 444, Sacramento, CA 95814.