The Railway Board has approved a proposed daily Sabarmati–Varanasi Express service connecting Gujarat with Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, but the supplied report contains conflicting information about the number of stoppages and requires clarification before the service details can be treated as final.
According to Divya Bhaskar, the train will operate daily in both directions. The report says the service is intended to make inter-state travel easier for passengers travelling between Gujarat, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. The Railway Board has instructed the concerned railway zones to begin the service as soon as possible.
The reported schedule states that the Varanasi–Sabarmati service will depart from Varanasi at 5.30 pm and reach Sabarmati at 8.15 pm the following day. In the reverse direction, the train is reported to leave Sabarmati at 5.20 am and arrive in Varanasi at 6.30 am the next day. The article also compares the proposed service with the Ahmedabad–Varanasi Express, which takes about 23 hours but currently operates only once a week.
The report says the proposed train will have stoppages across several major railway locations. These include Mirzapur, Subedarganj, Govindpuri, Tundla Junction, Idgah Agra Junction, Bharatpur, Nadbai, Kherli, Mandawar Mahwa Road, Bandikui, Gandhinagar Jaipur, Jaipur, Kishangarh, Ajmer, Beawar, Falna, Abu Road, Palanpur and Mehsana.
However, the same report says that the train will be given 13 stoppages, while naming 19 stations in its list. It does not explain whether some of the listed locations are route points, operational halts or proposed passenger stoppages. The discrepancy is significant because the number and location of halts will determine journey times and the service’s usefulness to passengers along the corridor.
The proposed route would link Sabarmati with important urban and regional centres in western, northern and central India. Stations such as Jaipur, Ajmer, Ahmedabad-region terminals and Varanasi serve large passenger catchments, while the reported stops in Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh could provide additional rail access for residents who currently depend on less frequent services or connections.
The train is proposed to run with three Linke Hofmann Busch, or LHB, rakes. The report states that primary maintenance for the rakes will be carried out at Varanasi. It does not provide a confirmed launch date, fare structure, train number or final timetable.
The reported approval therefore establishes the Railway Board’s decision to advance the proposed daily service, while the final operational details remain subject to confirmation. The concerned railway zones are expected to take steps towards starting the service, including finalising its stoppages, timetable and maintenance arrangements.
