The Ministry of Railways announced the launch of new Vande Bharat Sleeper Express trains connecting Varanasi with New Delhi, to be flagged off by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw from Varanasi on October 31, 2026. This represents an expansion of Indian Railways' modern overnight rail services following the introduction of similar services on the Howrah-Guwahati corridor in January 2026.
The new service will depart Varanasi at 20:50 and arrive in New Delhi at 06:10 the following morning, while the return service will depart New Delhi at 21:40 and reach Varanasi at 07:10 the next day. Compared to the existing Shiv Ganga Express, the Vande Bharat Sleeper reduces journey time by 55 minutes from Varanasi to New Delhi and by 35 minutes in the reverse direction. The service will operate six days per week, excluding Fridays for the Varanasi-originating service and Saturdays for the New Delhi-originating service.
The route connects Varanasi, Prayagraj, Kanpur Central, Aligarh, and Ghaziabad before reaching New Delhi, serving important urban centers and extending modern rail travel benefits to a wider passenger base. The service is targeted at pilgrims, domestic and international tourists, students, working professionals, and families traveling between eastern Uttar Pradesh and the national capital region.
The Vande Bharat Sleeper features advanced technological and passenger amenities including regenerative braking for energy efficiency, under-slung propulsion system, austenitic stainless steel car body meeting EN15227 crash standards, and Train Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) for safety. Passenger comfort features include fully sealed flexible gangways, centrally controlled automatic sliding doors, noise insulation, LED lighting, sensor-based intercommunication doors, ergonomically designed odor-free toilets with vacuum evacuation, special facilities for differently-abled passengers, integrated charging sockets with Type A and C USB ports, Wi-Fi routers, and shower with hot water in First AC compartments. The train also includes comprehensive safety systems compliant with EN45545 HL3 grade Fire Safety standards, fire barrier doors, disaster management lighting, fire detection systems, CCTV surveillance, and passenger emergency alarm buttons.