Utah Transit Authority officials believe the new moniker is a good fit for the convergence of FrontRunner commuter rail, TRAX, Amtrak, Greyhound cross-country coaches and UTA buses, all connecting more than 2 million people in the new heart of the capital city.

But despite the best efforts of the Salt Lake Chamber, which lobbied hard to get the new name, the building, which encompasses the rail platform, will still be known as the Intermodal Hub, a bureaucratic handle if ever there was one, said chamber spokeswoman Natalie Gochnour.

The chamber, which inaugurated its Downtown Rising campaign on May 31, has been "visioning" the central city. "Time and time and time again the name of the Intermodal Hub came up as an impediment to the vision we have for the city," Gochnour said.

A mini-poll of chamber members showed that only 2 percent wanted to keep calling the station the Intermodal Hub, she said. Salt Lake Central Station got 45 percent of the responders and 43 percent liked The Hub. No one thought Salt Lake Train Station had any magic.

What's in a name, then? If the platform is called Salt Lake Central Station, will the official Intermodal Hub designation be a useful alternative?

Gochnour's doubtful. "People don't know what it means," she said. "It's wonky."

City planners and residents have great hopes for what they already are calling the Depot District. A $45 million TRAX line now under construction around the Gateway will connect the current north-south line terminus at the Arena Station with the transit hub at 300 South 600 West. The project could be completed as early as spring 2008, about the same time Front Runner commuter rail service begins between Ogden and Salt Lake City.

City Councilman Van Turner has said he envisions thousands of people passing through the station. The activity will spur development of the Depot District, projected to be the state's most urban neighborhood. It was once the city's red light district. The 19-block transit-oriented area between North Temple and 400 South, from 400 West to Interstate 15 could house up to 20,000 people who would live in rowhouses, townhomes and apartments next to - or atop - neighborhood shops and offices. Parks, galleries, clubs, grocery stores, coffeehouses, restaurants and other retail would be part of the lively urban mix, all served by transit.

The UTA board likes that vision for the area surrounding Salt Lake Central, but they also had a practical concern. "We need to begin ordering signage," Jones said.

One of the new signs will label the new Planetarium Station TRAX stop on 400 West. A stop at 200 S. 500 West will be built when development and user traffic warrant. So far, suggestions for the 500 West stop are Rio Grande and Old Greektown, Jones said.