Overview
- Reports say Indian Railways is planning a second Sleeper Vande Bharat between New Delhi and Varanasi that would run overnight with a provisional timetable centering on roughly 9:20 PM departures and about 5:00 AM arrivals.
- The train is reported to be a 16‑coach set with 823 berths made up of 11 AC 3‑tier coaches, four AC 2‑tier coaches and one First AC coach to provide dedicated sleeping accommodation.
- Official specification lists cited in coverage describe safety and comfort features such as KAVACH train protection, fire barrier doors, automatic plug doors, CCTV cameras, emergency talk‑back units and specially designed lavatories.
- Railway Board confirmation is still pending, so the train number, fares, final timetable and launch date remain unannounced; news reports say officials are targeting a Diwali‑era launch subject to successful trial runs and operational clearances.
- The proposal responds to heavy demand on the corridor — the Railway Ministry reported the New Delhi–Varanasi Vande Bharat had carried more than 73 lakh passengers by April 2026 — and coverage notes operational questions such as practical running speeds and primary maintenance duties reportedly falling to Northern Railway.