Varanasi-New Delhi Vande Bharat Sleeper flagged off: timings, stops and what passengers get

Passengers travelling overnight between Varanasi and the national capital have a new option. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday flagged off a Vande Bharat Sleeper Express between Banaras railway station and New Delhi, the first such train for the state.

Timings and stops

According to published schedules, the train leaves Varanasi at 8:50 pm and reaches New Delhi at 6:10 am the next day. In the other direction it departs New Delhi at 9:40 pm and arrives in Varanasi at 7:10 am. It halts at Prayagraj, Kanpur Central, Aligarh and Ghaziabad, and will run six days a week, with no departure from Varanasi on Fridays or from New Delhi on Saturdays.

Reports say the journey is 55 minutes shorter than on the Shiv Ganga Express from Varanasi to Delhi and 35 minutes shorter on the return leg. Business Today listed base fares, before GST, of about Rs 1,819 in AC Three Tier, Rs 2,350 in AC Two Tier and Rs 2,880 in First AC.

Coaches and features

The fully air-conditioned train has 16 coaches: one First AC, four AC Two Tier and 11 AC Three Tier, carrying up to 823 passengers. It is designed to run at up to 160 km/h and is fitted with the indigenous Kavach train protection system, CCTV cameras, automatic doors, fire detection and an emergency talk-back system. First AC passengers get hot-water showers, and the train has berths and toilets for passengers with disabilities. Only confirmed tickets are issued, with no RAC or waitlist.

Vaishnaw said the service would be an excellent travel option for middle-class families, while Adityanath said the new trains would strengthen connectivity across the Purvanchal region. Two new MEMU services, Varanasi City to Rajatalab and Prayagraj Rambagh to Varanasi, were also flagged off.

Bigger plans

During the visit, Vaishnaw inspected the redevelopment of Kashi railway station and the Namo Setu rail-cum-road bridge under construction in Varanasi. He also said a planned high-speed Northern Corridor from Delhi through Agra, Kanpur, Lucknow and Ayodhya to Varanasi would eventually cut Delhi-Varanasi travel to about three and a half hours once completed in the coming years.