Naming Metro-North: Were there any alternative names?

Not sure if this has been discussed before, but when the steps were being taken to take over commuter rail operations from Conrail were there any alternative names considered for branding the service or was "Metro-North" the only one?

I can't recall any other names being batted around, they were calling it Metro-North in some places even while Conrail was still the operator of the services. M-1's had the name Central under the big "M" while M-2's had New Haven under the big "M" but I don't know if that is of any value to this conversation.
Noel Weaver

When Congress/Feds "Ordered" Conrail to get out of Passenger rail service,the term "MTA-North" was used
by some of the local press,PC had created the "Metropolitan Region" back in April 1970, the slang name
"Metro Region" was used to discribe the 3 lines out of GCT not too long after.

The Lines/routes that were to become NJT and SEPTA,had yet to spun away from their "roots" to become
NJ Commuter Region and SEPTA Commuter Region,in order to be spun off by Conrail.

Noel Weaver wrote:I can't recall any other names being batted around, they were calling it Metro-North in some places even while Conrail was still the operator of the services. M-1's had the name Central under the big "M" while M-2's had New Haven under the big "M" but I don't know if that is of any value to this conversation.

Many M-2s had the State of Connecticut seal instead of the "M" logo, with no reference to "New Haven" or MTA.

Correct Connecticut owned cars had Connecticut state seal, the MTA cars had the two tone M with New Haven.

I heard the name "Metro-Rail" was suggested, but it never got anywhere.

By that time, WMATA and Miami-Dade County had adopted the term "Metrorail".

How many "names by committee" do we have that sound almost the same or exactly the same?

Metro North (NYC)
Metrolink (LA)
Metrolink (STL)
Metrorail (DC)
Metrorail (Miami)
Metra (Chicago) (contraction of metropolitan rail)

By definition, metropolitan systems do not reach from one metro area to another, it's not that confusing. But you get the feeling that someone at McKinsey hired someone at Sterling Cooper to open the drawer labeled "gov't train names" and try out Metro, Metra, Metri, Metry... "Yeah we'll take the second one!". Reminds me of Jim Gaffigan's "by Mennen" routine: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-i9GXbp ... age#t=223s

I heard that it was a created via the Metropolitan region and that Operations out of GCT were going to be called Metro-North and that Operations out of Penn Station was suppose to be called Metro-South.

"Metro" short for Metropolitan (Region). "North" due to most destinations (Harmon, North White Plains, Brewster, Dover Plains/Wassaic, Poughkeepsie) being north of GCT. New Haven Line trains operate east and west, but New Canaan, Danbury and Waterbury trains operate north and south.

New Canaan is time table direction east, only Danbury and Waterbury branches are north/south.

railmason357 wrote:I heard that it was a created via the Metropolitan region and that Operations out of GCT were going to be called Metro-North and that Operations out of Penn Station was suppose to be called Metro-South.

RM: Thanks to Dave Morrison noting at the last LI Sunrise Trail-NRHS meeting the new LIRR name was to be Metro-East...
When that was brought up by the MTA former LIRR President Charles Hoppe was adamant that the LIRR name not be changed noting its longevity...
Another thought was the name "Long Island Commuter Railroad" to match the new MNCR name in 1983-84...

MACTRAXX

Instead of the LIRR, the LICR- pronounced Liquor?

Or "licker" for that matter.

METRO-EAST COMMUTER RAIL(MECR),corupted to METRO-EAST RR(MER) for the LIRR side-hopefully a bad dream???
Or did somebody spike the water in Croton and Amawalk reserviors??