VARANASI: The Railway Board issued a timetable on Tuesday, October 27, 2026, for the proposed Vande Bharat Sleeper connection between Cantt, or Varanasi Junction, and New Delhi, giving passengers departure times and weekly operating days for the overnight service. The development moves the proposal beyond the earlier feasibility stage, although the date of regular operations remains unconfirmed.
Two reports published on October 28 agree that train 27421 would leave Varanasi at 8:50 pm IST and reach New Delhi at 6:10 am IST the following morning. In the opposite direction, train 27422 would depart New Delhi at 9:40 pm IST and arrive at Varanasi Junction at 7:10 am IST the next day.
The timetable and weekly off days
The planned service has four intermediate stops: Prayagraj, Kanpur Central, Aligarh and Ghaziabad. It would operate on six days each week in both directions. The Varanasi departure would have no service on Fridays, while the New Delhi departure would have no service on Saturdays.
| Service | Departure, IST | Arrival next day, IST | Weekly off day |
|---|---|---|---|
| 27421, Varanasi to New Delhi | 8:50 pm | 6:10 am | Friday |
| 27422, New Delhi to Varanasi | 9:40 pm | 7:10 am | Saturday |
Calculated from those departure and arrival times, the outward journey would take nine hours and 20 minutes, and the return journey nine hours and 30 minutes. Both journeys cross midnight. Passengers arranging onward travel should therefore use the following calendar day when checking their arrival connection.
The off days also belong to the station of departure. A Thursday night departure from Varanasi would arrive in Delhi on Friday morning under the listed pattern. A Friday night departure from New Delhi would reach Varanasi on Saturday morning. These examples explain the proposed weekly pattern and do not establish that bookings have opened.
What still needs confirmation before booking
As of the reports checked on Wednesday, October 28, the date for regular passenger operations and the fare had not been announced. Awanish K Awasthi, adviser to the Uttar Pradesh chief minister, has described an October 31 inauguration as likely in a public update. An inauguration plan should not be treated as confirmation that the regular timetable starts that day.
For a journey from Cantt, check the station name as well as the train number when the reservation entry becomes available. The reports identify Varanasi Junction as the regular service endpoint. Residents should avoid assuming that a ceremonial departure and a scheduled passenger departure have identical arrangements.
The official Northern Railway portal provides links for train schedules, reservation, seat availability and passenger enquiries. Its schedule link leads to the National Train Enquiry System, which also lists live station information and train exceptions. Check the service there and in the reservation system for the intended travel date before making connecting arrangements.
For earlier local context, see the Laksa ropeway alignment test report. Separate background reports cover the proposed train repair shed near Cantt and Lohta and earlier Banaras to Delhi train cancellations. Those earlier cancellations do not describe the status of the proposed sleeper service.
