Varanasi: India’s second Vande Bharat Sleeper train will begin service between Varanasi and New Delhi on Saturday. The train will be flagged off from Varanasi by railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and chief minister Yogi Adityanath.According to officials, the fully air-conditioned, 16-coach train can carry 823 passengers. It has one First AC coach with 24 seats, four Second AC coaches with 188 seats, and 11 Third AC coaches with 611 seats. As per railway notification, fare for Vande Bharat Sleeper is likely to be Rs. 2880.40 for First AC, Rs. 2349.80 for Second AC and Rs. 1819.20 for Third AC. GST will be levied separately.Officials said there will be no provision for RAC/waitlisted/partially confirmed tickets.The train can run at 160 kmph and has been designed for a maximum speed of 180 kmph. It is equipped with advanced suspension technology to reduce jerks and noise, ensuring a smoother journey at higher speeds.The Vande Bharat Sleeper will run six days a week, with no service on Fridays. While its maintenance will be carried out in Varanasi, water-filling facilities will be available at Prayagraj and Kanpur.Train number 27421 will run from Varanasi to New Delhi. It will leave Varanasi at 8:50 pm and reach New Delhi at 6:10 am the next day.Train number 27422 will run from New Delhi to Varanasi. It will depart from New Delhi at 9:40 pm and arrive in Varanasi at 7:10 am the next morning. It will not run on Saturdays for maintenance.The train will stop at Varanasi, Prayagraj, Kanpur Central, Aligarh, Ghaziabad and New Delhi.The new sleeper train comes with several modern facilities, including CCTV cameras, automatic sensor-based doors, fire safety systems, security alarms, charging points, reading lights, infotainment screens, automatic inter-coach doors and an emergency talk-back system for direct communication with crew members.All coaches will have both Western- and Indian-style bio-toilets. The First AC coach will also include a shower facility.The train will offer improved hygiene, passenger-friendly interiors, facilities for differently abled passengers, the indigenous Kavach safety system, modern emergency communication systems and onboard catering with regional food options.On the inaugural day, the special train will be flagged off from Varanasi Junction at 4:30 pm and is expected to reach New Delhi at 1:30 am. Two new MEMU trains on the Varanasi-Rajatalab and Banaras-Prayagraj Rambag routes will also be launched.
