Railways orders train charging points switched off from 11 pm to 5 am after power bank fires

New Delhi: Passengers travelling by train at night will no longer be able to charge their mobile phones and laptops. The Railway Board has ordered that the mobile charging points in all coaches be kept switched off from 11 pm to 5 am.

The step has been taken in view of incidents of fires on trains and power banks exploding. The Railway Board says the rule has been brought in to ensure passenger safety and prevent fires on trains. Passengers travelling at night should therefore not assume that charging facilities will be working. The instructions are that power supply to the charging points be kept off from 11 pm to 5 am.

The Board has asked all zonal railways to enforce the order strictly. Any laxity in following the rule will not be tolerated. The directive was issued after an incident in a coach of South Eastern Railway. Charging points were reportedly not being switched off there at night. A passenger's power bank exploded while charging and produced a great deal of smoke.

After the incident, the railways have tightened enforcement of the rules on switching off charging points. In this connection, Shobhit Gupta, OSD in the Railway Board's electrical engineering department, has issued a letter to the principal chief mechanical engineers of all zonal railways.

The Board has asked that the railway staff concerned be trained and made aware of the rule so that the order is followed in full. Officers and supervisors have been told to conduct regular surprise checks on trains to see whether the rule is being followed. Staff who violate the order or are negligent in their duty will face strict departmental action.