Railway Board orders strict enforcement of night-time shutdown of train charging points

Passengers who rely on train charging points when their phone battery runs out on a long journey will not have that facility at night. The Railway Board has directed that the rule of keeping mobile charging points in trains switched off from 11 pm to 5 am be enforced strictly. Passengers will have to keep this in mind.

The decision follows an incident in South Eastern Railway, where a passenger's power bank burst while it was charging and began emitting smoke. The Railway Board has since issued a clear instruction to all zonal railways. The Board says there will be no relaxation in following the rule. Orders have also been given for surprise checks to curb negligence by staff.

According to the Railway Board's letter, the mobile charging points of the train in South Eastern Railway had not been switched off during the fixed period of 11 pm to 5 am. During this time, a passenger's power bank burst while plugged in for charging and smoke rose from it. The incident has raised questions about the safety of electrical equipment in trains and the responsibility of the staff concerned.

The Board has made it clear that the rule on keeping charging points off must be followed in every case so that passenger safety is not compromised. All zonal railways have been asked to make the necessary arrangements so that passengers' lives are not put at risk by staff negligence.

To ensure the rule is enforced effectively, the Railway Board has also informed the principal chief mechanical engineers of all zonal railways. They have been told to instruct the staff concerned to follow closely the rule of keeping charging points off at the fixed time. If needed, counselling and training will also be arranged for staff, so that the arrangement of keeping charging points off during the night runs properly.

Officers and supervisors have also been ordered to carry out surprise checks in trains. The checks will examine whether charging points are actually kept off between 11 pm and 5 am. If the rules are found not to be followed, it will be possible to look into the shortcomings in the system.

The rule of switching off charging points in trains at night is not new. The Railway Board had issued instructions on the matter on June 19, 2014 as well, saying that mobile charging points in trains should be kept off from 11 pm to 5 am. After the latest incident in South Eastern Railway, the Board has again stressed strict enforcement of the rule. All zonal railways have been asked to ensure the old instructions are followed and to further strengthen the monitoring system.

Passengers travelling by train at night will have to plan charging their phones and other devices around this time limit. Since the charging points will be kept off between 11 pm and 5 am, it would be advisable to charge phones fully before setting out.

The Railway Board has said no negligence will be tolerated in this rule concerning passenger safety. Training staff, surprise checks by officers and monitoring compliance are the measures through which the emphasis will be on strengthening safety in trains.