Varanasi: Indian Railways is set to launch a Vande Bharat sleeper service between Varanasi and New Delhi on October 31, creating a new overnight rail connection between eastern Uttar Pradesh and the national capital. The inaugural service will stop at Prayagraj, Kanpur, Aligarh and Ghaziabad, according to Dr Shivam Sharma, chief public relations officer of North Central Railway.

Source: UrbanAcres / North Central Railway

For the inaugural run, the service will operate as special train number 02527 from Banaras station, departing at 4:15 pm, reaching Prayagraj at 6 pm and Kanpur Central at 8:05 pm, before arriving at New Delhi at 2 am via Aligarh and Ghaziabad, the North Central Railway official said.

Source: UrbanAcres / North Central Railway

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath described the launch as a landmark for the state, saying the overnight train strengthens rail connectivity from Kashi — the sacred city of Baba Vishwanath — to the national capital. The corridor carries symbolic weight: the first-ever Vande Bharat Express was also inaugurated on the Varanasi–New Delhi route, in February 2019.

Source: NationPress

27421 / 27422Regular train numbers
16Fully air-conditioned coaches
823Passenger berths (approx.)
6 days a weekOperating frequency

Once regular operations begin, train 27421 will depart Varanasi at 8:50 pm and arrive in New Delhi at 5:55 am the next morning, while train 27422 will leave New Delhi at 9:40 pm and reach Varanasi at 6:45 am. The service will run six days a week — with no departure from New Delhi on Fridays and none from Varanasi on Saturdays — halting at Prayagraj and Kanpur Central.

Source: Travel and Leisure Asia

The 16-coach train is fully air-conditioned with a total passenger capacity of about 823, and the country's first Vande Bharat Sleeper pair, between Kamakhya and Howrah, was flagged off in January, making the Varanasi–New Delhi service the second on the sleeper platform.

Source: Indian Witness

The commercial fare circular for the new service has not yet been issued, railway reporting said, so confirmed passenger fares are still awaited. Media reports citing railway sources have indicated possible fares, but those figures have not been publicly announced by the railway authorities and should not be treated as confirmed until Indian Railways publishes the booking details.

Source: UrbanAcres

Saturday's launch confirms the plan first reported earlier in October, when the October 31 date was described as likely and the final schedule and flag-off were still unconfirmed; the confirmed inaugural special and the published regular timetable are the new developments that settle that earlier report.

Source: UrbanAcres