The Railway Board has told every zone to make sure mobile charging points on trains stay switched off from 11 pm to 5 am. The order follows an incident on the South Eastern Railway, where a passenger's power bank reportedly blew up while charging inside a Mumbai local train, leaving the coach full of thick smoke.
The power bank incident took place around 12.30 pm on Friday on a Badlapur-bound local train from Dadar. No one was injured.
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In a letter dated October 26, the Board said there would be no exceptions to the rule. The letter said railway staff had failed to switch off the charging points during the set hours.
Zonal railways have been asked to instruct, counsel and train staff so that charging points in all coaches are off during the six-hour window.
Surprise Inspections
Officials and supervisors have also been told to carry out surprise inspections to check whether the charging points are being switched off on time. The Board warned against any negligence in carrying out this safety measure.
Rule Dates Back To 2014
The restriction was introduced on June 19, 2014, after a fire aboard the Bengaluru-Hazur Sahib Nanded Express. It followed a recommendation by the Commissioner of Railway Safety.
In March 2021, the Railways again stressed the need to enforce the rule. Western Railway began cutting power to charging points during the restricted hours from March 16 that year.
The latest directive repeats the existing rule after the power bank incident.
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Advice For Passengers
Passengers have been advised to charge their phones and other essential electronic devices before starting an overnight journey, as charging points will be unavailable between 11 pm and 5 am.
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