VARANASI: A railway schedule made public on Monday, November 9, 2026, lists a Bilaspur to Chhapra festival special with a morning stop at Varanasi Junction on November 15 and 22. For passengers using the Cantt station, the local boarding time is 9:20 am IST on those Sundays, although the train begins its journey from Bilaspur on the preceding Saturday.
The distinction matters when choosing a journey date. Train 08255 leaves Bilaspur at 6 pm IST on November 14 and 21, reaches Varanasi Junction at 9:15 am the following day and leaves after five minutes. Residents travelling towards Jaunpur, Ghazipur City, Ballia or Chhapra should check the Varanasi boarding date and station against their ticket before leaving home.
In the opposite direction, train 08256 starts from Chhapra on November 15 and 22. Its scheduled departure from Varanasi Junction is 10:35 pm IST on those same Sundays. The two directions therefore serve Varanasi at different ends of the day: the Chhapra bound train in the morning and the Bilaspur bound train at night.
Varanasi special train timings and route
The outward service runs through Pendra Road, Anuppur, Shahdol and Umaria before reaching Katni Junction after midnight. It then serves Maihar, Satna, Manikpur and Prayagraj Chheoki on its way to Varanasi. The published departures include 12:14 am at Katni, 1:04 am at Maihar, 1:40 am at Satna, 3:22 am at Manikpur and 5:10 am at Prayagraj Chheoki, all on the second day.
For families joining relatives travelling from Chhattisgarh or Madhya Pradesh, the Saturday departures before midnight are 7:34 pm from Pendra Road, 8:37 pm from Anuppur, 9:24 pm from Shahdol and 10:19 pm from Umaria. The arrival in Varanasi is on Sunday in both announced outward trips.
After the Varanasi stop, the timetable takes the service through Jaunpur Junction and Aunrihar Junction before Ghazipur City and Ballia. Travellers should follow that listed route when checking their destination, rather than assume the train continues directly from Varanasi to the next station on another familiar service.
| Train 08255 stop | Arrival, IST | Departure, IST |
|---|---|---|
| Varanasi Junction | 9:15 am | 9:20 am |
| Jaunpur Junction | 10:40 am | 10:42 am |
| Aunrihar Junction | 11:45 am | 11:47 am |
| Ghazipur City | 12:20 pm | 12:25 pm |
| Ballia | 1:25 pm | 1:30 pm |
| Chhapra | 2:40 pm | Journey ends |
These second day timings apply on November 15 and 22. The scheduled Varanasi to Chhapra portion takes five hours and 20 minutes, calculated from the 9:20 am departure and 2:40 pm arrival. That is the timetable interval, so passengers should check the train's running position again on their travel day.
Return journeys and available coach types
Train 08256 leaves Chhapra at 5:25 pm IST on each of its two Sundays. After Ballia, the listed return departures are 8 pm from Ghazipur City, 8:38 pm from Aunrihar, 9:47 pm from Jaunpur and 10:35 pm from Varanasi Junction. It reaches Bilaspur at 3 pm IST the next day, November 16 or 23.
Passengers boarding at Varanasi for the overnight southbound journey will pass Prayagraj Chheoki at a scheduled departure of 2:55 am on Monday. Further departures are 4:55 am at Manikpur, 6:10 am at Satna, 6:42 am at Maihar and 8 am at Katni. The service then continues through Umaria, Shahdol, Anuppur and Pendra Road to Bilaspur.
Beyond Katni on the return trip, the Monday departures are 9:11 am from Umaria, 10:08 am from Shahdol, 11:10 am from Anuppur and 12:05 pm from Pendra Road. The scheduled Varanasi to Bilaspur journey takes 16 hours and 25 minutes, crossing midnight after the Sunday departure from Cantt.
The announced formation contains 21 coaches. Four are general class and seven are sleeper class. The air conditioned accommodation comprises four AC three tier coaches, two AC two tier coaches and two AC three tier economy coaches. A power car and an SLRD coach complete the formation. These are coach counts; they do not establish how many seats remain available for a particular boarding point.
What passengers should do
Use the train number, direction and Varanasi boarding date together when checking the service. The railway has asked passengers to verify operating days, timings and stops through its authorised information channels before travelling. The North Eastern Railway passenger portal provides links for train schedules, running information, seat availability and reservation status.
For local planning, the previously reported festival waiting arrangements at Varanasi Junction concern the station visit. Residents comparing other journeys can also consult the separate reports on additional festival bus services and Varanasi City to Rajatalab MEMU operations. Those services have their own routes and schedules; the Bilaspur special's boarding point is Varanasi Junction.
