Lucknow, Oct. 30 -- Rail passengers travelling between eastern Uttar Pradesh and the national capital are set to get a new overnight travel option, with the Varanasi-New Delhi Vande Bharat Sleeper Express scheduled to be inaugurated on October 31. The service will run six days a week via Prayagraj and Kanpur Central, according to the Railway Board's approved timetable. Railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath are scheduled to jointly flag off the train. Alongside the new long-distance service, the Railway Board has approved eight daily MEMU services between Varanasi City and Raja Talab. According to a Railway Board notification issued on October 27, the sleeper train will operate as train numbers 27421 and 27422. Train number 27421 will leave Varanasi at 8.50 pm and reach New Delhi at 5.55 am the following day, covering the journey in nine hours and five minutes. In the return direction, train number 27422 will depart New Delhi at 9.40 pm and arrive at 6.45 am. The train will stop at Prayagraj and Kanpur Central, with a technical halt at Chipiyana Buzurg. It will not depart from Varanasi on Fridays or from New Delhi on Saturdays. The train will have 823 berths: 24 in First AC, 188 in AC 2-Tier and 611 in AC 3-Tier. Although it has been tested at speeds of up to 180 kmph, its approved operational speed is 160 kmph. Varanasi will be its primary maintenance station, while watering facilities will be available at Prayagraj and Kanpur Central....