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Sweden asked the public to vote on a name for a new train and this is what they came up with

Key Points
  • Sweden's MTR Express unveils Trainy McTrainface after public poll.
  • The name won 49 percent of votes versus alternatives including Miriam and Poseidon.
  • It comes after British officials rejected a vote to name its polar research vessel Boaty McBoatface.
Artist's impression of the MTR Express' newly unveiled Trainy McTrainface
MTR Express

A train operator in Sweden has vowed to name one of its trains Trainy McTrainface in a bid to bring "joy" to all those disappointed when the U.K. overturned a public vote to name a polar research ship with a similar quirky name.

Trainy came in miles ahead when MTR Express, a subsidiary of Hang Seng-listed MTR Corporation which runs trains between Gothenburg and Stockholm, invited Swedes to come up with a name for one of its fleet of new engines.

The move is seen as a public triumph after the British Research Council ignored the results of a public vote to name its new polar research ship Boaty McBoatface last year. The vessel was instead named after British broadcaster and naturalist Sir David Attenborough.

"(This is) news that will be received with joy by many, not just in Sweden," MTR wrote in a statement.

Trainy McTrainface gained 49 percent of votes versus other names including Hakan, Miriam and Poseidon. It is to be unveiled at an official ceremony in Gothenberg this fall and will be joined by other new members of the fleet, Estelle and Glenn.

MTR Corporation is listed on the Hong Kong exchange and has holdings in railway networks in the U.K., Sweden, China and Australia, as well as property developments in Hong Kong.

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