Overnight Vande Bharat Sleeper Train Launched on Varanasi–New Delhi Route

Key facts

• Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath jointly flagged off the Vande Bharat Sleeper Express between Varanasi and New Delhi from Banaras Railway Station on October 31, 2026.
• The overnight service connects Varanasi, Prayagraj, Kanpur Central, Aligarh and Ghaziabad before reaching New Delhi, covering the journey in less than 10 hours.
• The train departs Varanasi at 8.50 pm and arrives in New Delhi at 6.10 am the next morning, while the return service leaves New Delhi at 9.40 pm and reaches Varanasi at 7.10 am the following day.
• The service operates six days a week, with no run on Fridays for the Varanasi-originating train and Saturdays for the New Delhi-originating train.
• Compared with the existing Shiv Ganga Express, the new train reduces journey time from Varanasi to New Delhi by 55 minutes and from New Delhi to Varanasi by 35 minutes.
• The fully air-conditioned, 16-coach train has a passenger capacity of 823, comprising one First AC, four AC 2-Tier and 11 AC 3-Tier coaches.
• The same ceremony also flagged off two new MEMU train services connecting Varanasi City Railway Station with Rajatalab and Prayagraj Rambagh with Varanasi.