What's in a name - a lot, apparently, when it comes to naming stations for the new Burnaby to Coquitlam Evergreen Line.
Planners are having a tough time coming up with simple names for Port Moody's two stations and went before city council Tuesday asking for help.
TransLink staff who are handling station naming for the $1.4 billion rapid transit line have come up with four names for the stop at the Port Moody West Coast Express station and six for the stop at Ioco Road and Barnet Highway.
Top choices for the most western station is Moody Centre Station and Port Moody Station because they are simple, logical, self locating, and durable, important criteria for helping people negotiate the transit system.
Two other possible names: Port Moody Centre Station, and Port Moody Central Station are likely to be non-contenders because they lack simplicity.
The bigger concern is finding a name for the station at Ioco Road and Barnet Highway. Of the six identified as possibilities, none meet all the criteria, although Ioco Road Station is familiar and Inlet Centre Station is named in the city's Official Community Plan.
Tossed out are double-barreled names, such as Ioco-Inlet Centre Station and Ioco-Barnet while Port Moody East Station is considered too long and Ioco Station would be misleading because the station isn't in Ioco.
Still, the decision is important because the names will be prominent on wayfaring signs and be used to help commuters and emergency responders get around. Look for the naming dilemma to be solved by early fall and the winners sent to the Evergreen Line Project Office for official designation shortly after.
