In a significant move to correct a historical oversight, the Central Railway has officially changed the name of a key Navi Mumbai local train station. The station previously known as Seawoods-Darave on the harbour line is now formally called Seawoods-Darave-Karave. This change integrates the name of Karave village, which was originally left out when the station was first named.
Government Request Leads to Official Renaming
The renaming process was set in motion by a formal request from the Maharashtra Government. A government notification dated November 6, 2025, advocated for the inclusion of "Karave" in the station's title. The primary goal was to ensure consistency across various administrative records, including land documents, urban development maps, and transport infrastructure.
Following this request, the Surveyor-General of India granted the necessary approval. The Survey of India also standardized the spelling in three scripts: Marathi (सीवूड्स-दारावे-करावे), Hindi (सीवूड्स-दारावे-करावे), and English (Seawoods-Darave-Karave). The Central Railway's chief commercial manager (passenger marketing) office issued the official notification announcing the change on November 29, 2025.
Correcting a Geographical Omission
Railway officials clarified that the Seawoods Estate in Nerul, Navi Mumbai, was developed on land that originally belonged to two villages: Darave and Karave. However, when the railway station was inaugurated, only "Seawoods" and "Darave" were included in its official name, inadvertently omitting "Karave."
"Karave was always part of the geographical identity of the area, but it was not reflected in the station name. The new nomenclature corrects that omission," a railway official stated. This renaming is seen as an effort to acknowledge the complete historical and geographical context of the location.
Operational Changes and Implementation
While the core numerical station code (01827117) will remain the same, the alphabetical station code has been updated from SWDV to SWDK. The railway administration has directed all relevant divisions—including Mumbai, Bhusaval, Nagpur, Solapur, and Pune—to implement the change across all systems.
The update will be rolled out in a phased manner:
- Digital platforms like the National Train Enquiry System (NTES), online reservation charts, and ticketing systems will reflect the new name.
- Passenger reservation systems and ticketing databases will be updated accordingly.
- Physical signboards at the station will be replaced after completing internal approval and fabrication processes.
This renaming underscores the railways' responsiveness to state government initiatives aimed at aligning public infrastructure names with local historical and administrative records, ensuring clarity and accuracy for millions of commuters in the Mumbai metropolitan region.
