Vande Bharat Sleeper trains start on Varanasi-Delhi and Bengaluru-Mumbai routes
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw flagged off two overnight trains over the weekend, and regular services begin this week with fares from Rs 1,915 in Third AC.
The Global Sun Desk ·
Two new Vande Bharat Sleeper trains were flagged off over the weekend, adding overnight services between Varanasi and New Delhi and between Bengaluru and Mumbai. Regular commercial runs begin this week, The Indian Express reported on Monday.
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath sent off the Varanasi-New Delhi train from Varanasi on Saturday, 31 October. Vaishnaw flagged off the Bengaluru-Mumbai service on Sunday, 1 November. The Hindu noted that the services follow the Howrah-Guwahati Vande Bharat Sleeper launched in January.
Varanasi to New Delhi
Train 27421 runs from Varanasi to New Delhi and 27422 in the opposite direction. Vaishnaw said the timetable is built for overnight travel, so passengers leave Varanasi at night and reach Delhi the next morning, and the return trip works the same way. The train goes via Kanpur Central, with stops at Prayagraj, Kanpur Central, Aligarh and Ghaziabad. It runs six days a week: not on Fridays from Varanasi, and not on Saturdays from Delhi.
The fares are Rs 1,915 in Third AC, Rs 2,470 in Second AC and Rs 3,030 in First AC. The Indian Express noted that the two existing Vande Bharat chair car trains on the route are currently running at full occupancy, and Vaishnaw called the new train a gift to Varanasi and the wider Purvanchal region.
Bengaluru to Mumbai
The Bengaluru-Mumbai train links SMVT Bengaluru with Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus. Stops include Anantapur, Guntakal, Raichur, Kalaburagi, Solapur, Pune and Kalyan. It leaves Bengaluru at 7.45 pm and reaches Mumbai at 11.55 am the next day, and leaves Mumbai at 8.10 pm to arrive at noon. It does not run from Bengaluru on Mondays or from Mumbai on Tuesdays. Services from Mumbai start on Monday, 2 November, and from Bengaluru on Tuesday, 3 November, according to The Indian Express.
Minister of State for Railways V Somanna said before the launch that the journey would take about 16 hours, up to eight hours less than on existing trains, which take 22 to more than 24 hours, according to The Indian Express. Fares are Rs 2,810 in Third AC, Rs 3,630 in Second AC and Rs 4,450 in First AC.
What passengers should know
Each train has 16 air-conditioned coaches in three classes, and the Varanasi-New Delhi train is listed with room for 823 passengers. Only passengers with confirmed tickets may board; RAC and waitlisted tickets are not accepted, according to the Railway Board. Catering is included in the fare, along with a litre of Rail Neer water and a newspaper. Luggage limits are 70 kg in First AC, 50 kg in Second AC and 40 kg in Third AC. Tickets can be booked on the IRCTC website and apps or at reservation counters.
More trains planned
Vaishnaw said another Vande Bharat Sleeper from Bengaluru towards Hubballi, Pune and Mumbai is planned, and that regular Vande Bharat trains linking Bengaluru with Mangaluru should begin within weeks, subject to electrification and testing. He also said approval has been given to a bullet train corridor from Delhi to Guwahati, with Agra, Kanpur, Lucknow, Varanasi, Patna and Siliguri among the stations.