Two of the most heavily used evening trains from Banaras to the national capital did not run on Friday, 9 October. The Divisional Railway Manager's office in Varanasi announced that 12559 Banaras-New Delhi Shivganga Express and 12581 Banaras-New Delhi Superfast Express were cancelled for the day, and railway officials said the same pair would not run from New Delhi towards Banaras on Saturday, 10 October.
The notice from the DRM's official handle was short. It told passengers that both trains scheduled for 9 October stood cancelled and apologised for the inconvenience. National reports said the railways had cited traffic concerns in Delhi, where a large protest programme and police diversions had been announced for 10 October. The Varanasi division did not give a separate reason in its notice.
Passengers holding confirmed reserved tickets were informed through the usual messages, railway officials said. The trouble fell on those who had bought general tickets at the counter or booked through agents and cyber cafes, where the alert does not always reach the traveller. Several such passengers, many from towns around Varanasi, reached Banaras station at the normal departure time on Friday night and found no train to board.
DRM Ashwani Jain inspected the station late on Friday along with Railway Protection Force staff and spoke to passengers who had been left without a way home. Those who could not leave were given dormitory beds and food by the railway administration. "Some passengers did not get the information about the cancellation and could not return home. They were given dormitory accommodation and food. We will try to send all of them to Delhi by another train depending on the situation the next day," Jain said.
By around 10 pm on Friday, Platform 8, from where both trains usually leave, was almost empty. Only a handful of passengers who had not been able to head home were still waiting there.
If you held an e-ticket on either train, a cancellation by the railways means the fare is refunded automatically to the account used for booking; you do not need to file a TDR. Counter tickets for a cancelled train can be refunded at any reservation counter, and the railways allow a longer window than usual to claim such refunds. Agent and travel-portal bookings are refunded through the agent, so it is worth calling them rather than waiting.
Passengers who need to travel to Delhi on Saturday should check the live status of any alternative train on the National Train Enquiry System or by calling 139 before leaving home. Other Delhi-bound trains from Varanasi Junction and Banaras station were not part of the notice issued on 9 October, but schedules can change at short notice when the capital is under traffic restrictions. For a wider list of seasonal options, see our earlier report on Puja and festival special trains through Varanasi.
The Shivganga Express is one of the oldest overnight links between Banaras and New Delhi and is a first choice for students, government staff and traders who want to reach Delhi early in the morning. The 12581 superfast runs on a similar evening slot. With Navratri starting on 11 October and Durga Puja and Diwali travel picking up after that, waitlists on both trains are already long, and a cancellation on a single day pushes many travellers onto buses or later trains.
On a normal night both trains leave Banaras station within a short gap of each other, so the cancellation removed a large block of sleeper and AC berths to Delhi in one go. Passengers who switched to Varanasi Junction or Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyay Junction for other trains found those already heavily booked. Families travelling with older relatives or small children were the worst placed, since a sudden change of station at night is not easy for them. Those who still have to travel can try the Tatkal quota a day ahead, which opens at 10 am for AC classes and 11 am for sleeper class.
Railway officials have not announced any change to the trains' schedule beyond 10 October. Passengers booked for 11 October onwards should still confirm their train status on the day of travel. Earlier this week the Railway Protection Force also made an arrest linked to thefts from parcel coaches on this route, which we covered in our report on the parcel coach theft gang.
Dalimss News will update this report if the North Eastern Railway's Varanasi division issues any further changes for trains between Banaras and Delhi.
