SALT LAKE CITY -- Utah's first commuter rail system will be known as the FrontRunner in a nod to the metropolitan region known as the Wasatch Front.

The Utah Transit Authority approved the name Wednesday along with a paint scheme that will be used on commuter rail trains.

"The name will become synonymous with speed, movement and reliability, as commuter rail is first constructed from Weber County to Salt Lake City," said John Inglish, UTA general manager. "The name 'FrontRunner' correlates well with the Wasatch Front, especially as it eventually travels the 120 miles from Brigham City to Payson."

Construction on the Weber County to Salt Lake City line started in August and is 20 percent complete. The first leg, a 44-mile project, is scheduled to open for service in mid-2008.

The trains will be painted in large sections of red, white and blue. FrontRunner will be painted in blue on a white background along the middle of each train car.

This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page B8.