Vande Bharat
A Vande-Bharat special service (02252) from New Delhi to Patna Jn. has been notified from 16.10.26 and this service will operated tri-weekly till 17.11.26. This train will travel the distance of 996 km in 12.55 hrs with average speed of 77.1 kmph. Train no. 02251 in return trip from Patna jn to New delhi will cover the distance in 13.30 hrs with average speed of 73.75 kmph.
This will provide much needed connectivity between New Delhi and Patna during festival season.
Indian Railways will operate a reserved Vande Bharat Festival Special Express between New Delhi and Patna to accommodate the additional passenger rush during the festive season. The special service will run from October 16 to November 17, 2026, as demand for travel increases ahead of Durga Puja, Diwali and Chhath Puja.
The will be operated and maintained by the Northern Railway zone. It will cover the 998-km distance between New Delhi and Patna Junction via Prayagraj, with six intermediate stops. The journey from New Delhi to Patna will take 12 hours and 55 minutes, while the return journey will take 13 hours and 30 minutes.
“To clear the additional rush during the festive season and to facilitate the convenient travel of passengers, Railways have decided to run the New Delhi-Patna-New Delhi Reserved Vande Bharat festival special express," said Himanshu Shekhar Upadhyay, Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) of Northern Railway.
The Vande Bharat Festival Special will operate under train numbers 02252 from New Delhi to Patna and 02251 in the return direction. Both services will have AC Chair Car and Executive Chair Car accommodation.
Train number 02252 will depart from New Delhi on October 16 and 18. From October 21, it will run every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday until November 17.
The return service, train number 02251, will begin operations from Patna on October 17 and 19. It will subsequently run every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday from October 22 to November 17.
The two services will complete 18 trips each, taking the total number of scheduled trips to 36 across both directions.
Train number 02252 will leave New Delhi at 8:35 am and reach Patna Junction at 9:30 pm. On its journey, it will stop at Aligarh Junction, Kanpur Central, Prayagraj Junction, Pt Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Junction, Buxar and Ara.
The return service, train number 02251, will depart from Patna Junction at 10 am and arrive at New Delhi at 11:30 pm. It will halt at the same six stations in the reverse direction.
Station | Arrival | Departure |
New Delhi | — | 8:35 am |
Aligarh Junction | 10:21 am | 10:23 am |
Kanpur Central | 1:30 pm | 1:35 pm |
Prayagraj Junction | 3:45 pm | 3:50 pm |
Pt Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Junction | 6:00 pm | 6:10 pm |
Buxar | 7:26 pm | 7:28 pm |
Ara | 8:10 pm | 8:12 pm |
Patna Junction | 9:30 pm | — |
Station | Arrival | Departure |
Patna Junction | — | 10:00 am |
Ara | 10:38 am | 10:40 am |
Buxar | 11:25 am | 11:27 am |
Pt Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Junction | 1:10 pm | 1:20 pm |
Prayagraj Junction | 3:35 pm | 3:40 pm |
Kanpur Central | 5:50 pm | 5:55 pm |
Aligarh Junction | 8:53 pm | 8:55 pm |
New Delhi | 11:30 pm | — |
The additional service is intended to provide passengers with another travel option on the busy Delhi-Patna route during the festive period. Travellers should check the applicable running date and ticket availability before planning their journey.