Varanasi-Delhi Vande Bharat Sleeper Flagged Off at Banaras Station

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath flagged off the Vande Bharat Sleeper Express between Varanasi and New Delhi at Banaras Railway Station on Saturday evening, 31 October 2026, All India Radio reported. The train has 16 air-conditioned coaches and room for 823 passengers. Two new MEMU services were flagged off at the same event.

Overnight Seats for Varanasi Travellers

The train has one First AC coach, four AC 2-Tier coaches and 11 AC 3-Tier coaches. The two MEMU services connect Varanasi City with Rajatalab and Prayagraj Rambagh with Varanasi, which matters for daily commuters on those short routes.

The flag-off report does not give the timetable or fares. Earlier reports by Business Today, citing pre-launch information, described a provisional schedule of roughly nine hours overnight via Prayagraj and Kanpur, with no service on Saturdays. Business Today said Railways had not confirmed those timings or the fare estimates. Passengers should check the IRCTC listing before booking.

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Second Sleeper After Guwahati-Kolkata

Business Today described the train as the country’s second Vande Bharat Sleeper, after the Guwahati-Kolkata service. Varanasi already has day-time Vande Bharat links to Delhi; the sleeper adds an overnight option. For other rail and civic stories, see our Daily Updates page.

Fares and Timetable Still to Be Confirmed

The official fare chart and final stoppages were not part of the flag-off report. Railways is expected to publish them through IRCTC; until then, any figures in circulation are estimates.

Source: Based on reporting by All India Radio and Business Today.

Image: All India Radio.