The Utah Transit Authority's board voted this week to give any new train stops more-generic names - with street addresses, in TRAX's case - to match the Salt Lake Valley's numeric grid system and avoid confusion as about 30 stations open along four new light-rail lines in the next five years or so.
"As the system grows," board member Michelle Baguley said, "we want to stick with naming stations that will allow people to navigate."
That means no more station names reflecting an area's history or major attractions, such as the existing Central Pointe, City Center, Gallivan Plaza or Arena, which started out as the Delta Center before the Utah Jazz's basketball home became EnergySolutions Arena. It also means new stations in West Valley City, West Jordan-South Jordan, Draper or at Salt Lake City International Airport won't be named after historic cultural connections, as the Old GreekTown Station is near The Gateway.
None of the existing stations will change names, though, and UTA will allow for secondary names that recognize cultural or other ties in smaller print. For instance, West Valley's E Center stop might be called "3500 S. Decker Lake Drive - E Center." That's the reverse of the old way, which named a stop "Library - 225 E. 400 South."
New FrontRunner commuter rail stops will be allowed broader geographic names, such as the existing "Clearfield" or "Farmington" stations. The new policy also bars UTA from naming stations after people - living or dead.
