Description
India's newest sleeper Vande Bharat is set to roll out between New Delhi and Varanasi this week. Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will together flag off the service on October 31, railway officials said on Wednesday. Two MEMU services, one linking Varanasi with Prayagraj Rambagh and the other Varanasi City with Raja Talab, will start the same day.
New Delhi-Varanasi Vande Bharat Sleeper: Opening Day Plan
A single rake will cover the ceremonial first run. It will depart Varanasi at 4:30 p.m. and is scheduled to reach the national capital at 1:30 a.m.
Once commercial services begin, the Railway Board's approved timetable has Train 27421 leaving Varanasi at 8:50 pm and arriving in New Delhi at 5:55 a.m. In the opposite direction, Train 27422 departs the capital at 9:40 p.m. and pulls into Varanasi at 6:45 a.m.
The service will operate six days a week. Apart from the two end points, halts are planned at Prayagraj, Kanpur Central and Chipyana Buzurg
The rake can touch 160 kmph. In practice, it will be held to 130 kmph, since a 2024 order from the Railway Ministry caps the speed of all express and mail trains at that level, officials explained.
All 16 coaches are air-conditioned, and together they can accommodate 823 passengers. The composition is one First AC coach, four AC 2-Tier coaches and 11 AC 3-Tier coaches.