(The following story by Brad Cooper appeared on the Kansas City Star website on January 28, 2009.)
ST LOUIS, Mo. — Forget those stodgy names like the Ann Rutledge or the Missouri Mule.
Amtrak has a new name for its service between Kansas City and St. Louis, and it’s called the Missouri River Runner.
The name was announced today in St. Louis where Keith Kohler of Glendale, Mo., was recognized for submitting the winning entry. Kohler received two round-trip sleeping car tickets to any Amtrak destination in the country
More than 8,300 names were submitted last year before they were pared to five just before Christmas.
The five finalists were put to a vote in which 5,455 ballots were cast. The Missouri River Runner received 2,036 votes. The other finalists: Missouri Rail Blazer (1,204 votes),. ShowMeMO (1,196 votes), Truman Service ( 597 votes) and the River Cities Corridor (422 votes).
The name is a rebranding of Missouri’s Amtrak service, which the state has been working to improve in the last year. The state is spending money to add sidings that are aimed at improving the train’s on-time performance and boosting ridership.