Northern Railway announces special train services between Delhi and Varanasi to handle rush

The Northern Railway administration has announced the operation of new special train services between Delhi and Varanasi to accommodate the anticipated surge in passenger traffic. Senior DCM Samarth Gupta confirmed the details regarding these additional rail connections, which are designed to manage the heavy seasonal passenger load. Passengers travelling on these routes can now plan their journeys with ease as extra coaches and well-timed schedules are put into place to ensure comfortable transit during peak travel periods.

Train 04032 will depart from Delhi at 9:10 PM on September 10 and 12, arriving in Lucknow at 6:30 AM the following day and reaching Varanasi at 3:00 PM. The return service, train 04031, will depart from Varanasi at 8:15 PM on September 11 and 13, arriving in Lucknow at 2:10 AM and Delhi at 11:45 AM the next day. These trains will feature a total of 17 coaches, encompassing general, sleeper, and air-conditioned classes. Scheduled stoppages for this pair include Ghaziabad, Moradabad, Bareilly, Ayodhya Cantt, and Jaunpur Junction.

Recent and Upcoming Festive Services

Additionally, the administration highlighted the recent operation of the Varanasi-Anand Vihar Terminal Special Express. Train 04217 departed Varanasi on September 3, 2026, at 3:40 PM, arriving at Anand Vihar Terminal at 7:10 AM the following day. Its counterpart, train 04218, departed Anand Vihar on September 4, 2026, at 8:30 AM and arrived in Varanasi at 12:25 AM. These services utilized stops at Maa Belha Devi Dham Pratapgarh, Bareilly, Rae Bareli Junction, Lucknow, Hapur, Moradabad, and Ghaziabad.

Furthermore, Northern Railway has planned additional services to manage the Diwali festive rush, including trains originating from Varanasi and Sultanpur to Mumbai LTT running from October 21 to November 13, 2026. These include service pairs 04212/04211 and 04226/04225, which will also transit through Lucknow to provide seamless connectivity for festive travellers.