The ongoing debacle surrounding the naming of the new $39 million railway station at Dunmore has taken yet another twist.
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Transport for NSW appears so confident the Geographical Names Board will accept its latest proposal for the station to be named Shellharbour Junction that new signs have been installed on the new station's platforms prior to the name being approved.
The station, built to replace the existing Dunmore (Shellharbour) station, was initially known as Flinders under the previous Labor government.
In March 2013 the Liberal Party's Kiama MP Gareth Ward announced the station would instead be called Shell Cove, following "a strong community campaign" and evidence it would help support tourism.
After months of debate over the name and the lack of consultation over the name change, both Flinders and Shell Cove were ruled out as options by the Geographical Names Board (GNB) as the new station is in the suburb of Dunmore.
Transport for NSW then proposed the name Shellharbour Junction which became the subject of a public consultation between July 18 and August 18.
The GNB is to meet on Tuesday night to discuss the proposed name and submissions.
The GNB's options include assign the name, abandon the proposed name Shellharbour Junction, defer the proposal and seek further information, make amendments to the proposal or undertake further community consultation.
In her submission, Shellharbour MP Anna Watson urged the GNB to retain the name of the old station, which she said was the community's "strong preference".
Keeping the existing name would save the state government needing to amend existing timetables and ticketing arrangements, Ms Watson said.
On Monday, a Geographical Names Board spokesman confirmed no decision had been made regarding the proposed naming of the new station in the Shellharbour LGA.
"The Geographical Names Board is due to make a decision on Transport NSW's submission at the next board meeting, tomorrow [Tuesday] evening," the spokesman said. "Naming decisions are based on community feedback and the Geographical Names Board's naming guidelines ... the Geographical Names Board is an independent statutory body."
A Transport for NSW spokesman said it was continuing to work with the GNB to finalise a name for a new train station and transport interchange being built north of the current Dunmore Station.
"Shellharbour Junction signs at the station were erected in error," the spokesman said.
