A new daily overnight train between Kanpur and Delhi is about to start running. Kanpur MP Ramesh Awasthi has said that Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw will flag off the service from Platform 1 of Kanpur Central on Monday, 16 November, according to Metro Rail News, Jagran and Hindustan. Jagran reports the ceremony is planned for the evening.
What is the train and when does it run?
The service is numbered 14153 in the up direction and 14154 on the way back. It covers about 428 km between Kanpur Central and Anand Vihar Terminal in Delhi, and the journey takes close to eight hours each way, as reported by Metro Rail News. It will run every day.
As per the schedule reported by Hindustan and Jagran, train 14153 leaves Kanpur Central at 8:40 PM and arrives at Anand Vihar at 4:50 AM the next morning. In the opposite direction, 14154 leaves Anand Vihar at 11:25 PM and reaches Kanpur Central at 7:25 AM. Hindustan describes the timetable as proposed, so the final timings should be confirmed on the National Train Enquiry System or the IRCTC site before you book.
Where will it stop?
The reported halts after Kanpur are Phaphund, Etawah, Tundla, Hathras, Aligarh, Khurja, Dadri and Ghaziabad. Hindustan's Auraiya edition says the Phaphund halt will give travellers from Dibiyapur, Auraiya and nearby areas another way to reach Delhi. The Phaphund arrival and departure times were not included in the details available to us.
Jagran reports that the train will have LHB coaches with general, sleeper, third AC, second AC and first AC classes.
Why does it matter for Kanpur?
At present the overnight option from Kanpur to Delhi is the Shram Shakti Express, which Jagran notes is the train that leaves the city at night. Metro Rail News adds that Shram Shakti was flagged off from Kanpur Central on 1 September 2001 by the then Railway Minister Nitish Kumar, and that the new service is the first new Kanpur–Delhi overnight train in about 25 years. Dainik Bhaskar's headline also speaks of a special train for Delhi after 25 years, while another outlet cites 30 years; we have used the figure given by Metro Rail News.
According to Metro Rail News, which cites Hindustan, the new train stops at Etawah and Ghaziabad, unlike Shram Shakti, and that is expected to make it popular with passengers bound for Ghaziabad, Noida and Meerut. The report says such passengers make up about 40 per cent of the Shram Shakti load. That figure comes from the newspaper's reporting and we could not verify it independently.
Jagran says the biggest relief will be for passengers who struggle to get a confirmed seat on the existing trains. Mr Awasthi was quoted saying that people could board at night, reach Delhi in the morning, work during the day and return by the same train.
What does it mean for a traveller?
If you work or study in Delhi, you can leave after dinner and be at Anand Vihar before sunrise. If you are coming back, the 11:25 PM departure from Anand Vihar gets you to Kanpur Central by 7:25 AM. For those travelling to Ghaziabad, the stoppage there should help. Anand Vihar sits on the eastern side of Delhi, so check the Metro or road connection to your final destination, especially in the early hours.
What next?
Ticket booking for the new train will open as usual on IRCTC and at reservation counters once the railway publishes the schedule on its systems. Until then, keep an eye on railway announcements. The flag-off is on 16 November, and no change in the date has been reported. If the final timetable or stops are changed, we will update this report.
Separately, Kanpur is dealing with a heavy festival rush this week, and railways has been running special trains for Chhath on routes towards Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh. The new daily train is not a festival special and is meant to run permanently.
