SEATTLE – Seattle's slick new streetcar transit system is getting trashed as a tramp due to the very distinctive acronym for its name.

The first streetcar for Paul Allen's $50 million rail system connecting South Lake Union to downtown Seattle was unveiled Wednesday.

But what do you call it?

Folks working in the trolley's neighborhood have come up with one of their own.

South Lake Union Trolley.

S.L.U.T

Kapow Coffee has even started selling commemorative t-shirts that say "Ride the S.L.U.T."

"We're kinda sold out right now, but we're gonna get more in," said Don Clifton of Kapow.

Workers point to newspaper articles that show "trolley" was the original name for the system, but that changed to "streetcar" when somebody discovered the unfortunate acronym.

Developers call that an urban legend.
Regardless, the name has stuck like a bad reputation.

"Well, we just wanted to get behind the S.L.U.T. and show our support," said –

Paul Allen owns almost all of the area south of Lake Union where the streetcar will be based.  He's also doing massive redevelopment such as tearing down buildings and tearing up roads.

All the construction has people coming up with a few other choice words.

Traffic here is often referred to as another derogatory word that describes a female dog.

There's also the perception of politicians as colorful word for a donkey, for spending millions on a streetcar when there are other pressing problems.

"We went to the community meetings. We said we want low-income housing. They said, 'you're getting a trolley,'" said South Lake Union resident Candi Wilvang.

For the record, the rail line is officially called the Seattle Streetcar.

Mayor Greg Nickels is brushing off the criticism.

"People can call it whatever they want as long as they ride it," said Nickels.

Tracks have been laid from downtown along Westlake Avenue to Lake Union. The line will feature 11 stops; one every two or three blocks. Each streetcar will carry 140 passengers on the 1.3-mile route.

Testing of the system is scheduled to being in late October or November and the line should be up and running in December.

Westlake Avenue was recently converted from one-way to two-way to accommodate the streetcar.

Seattle is considering several possible extensions of the streetcars.  Meantime, voters will decide on a Sound Transit streetcar as part of a bigger regional ballot measure in November.   That route would run from the International District Station to Capitol Hill.