Amtrak announces ‘Name the Train’ contest winner

Amtrak has selected “Missouri River Runner” as the new name for its state-supported trains that run between St. Louis and Kansas City.

The name evokes the river that parallels much of the route, plus the Mississippi River at the eastern terminus and the Kansas River at the western end.

The name was submitted by Keith Kohler of Glendale, Mo., and received 2,036 votes, or 37 percent of the votes cast. More than 8,300 name submissions were entered late last year.

The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) Director Pete Rahn and Amtrak Senior Director Ray Lang, presented Kohler with the grand prize — two round-trip sleeping car tickets to any Amtrak destination in the U.S.

MoDOT and Amtrak sponsored the "Name the Train" contest in celebration of 30 years of state-supported passenger rail across Missouri, as well as major service improvements in the works.