India
Railway Board Orders All Zones to Switch Off Charging Points Overnight for Fire Safety
By Swati Gandhi
The Railway Board has instructed all railway zones to enforce a 2014 rule that requires mobile phone and laptop charging sockets in train coaches to remain off from 11 pm to 5 am. The directive follows an incident on the South Eastern Railway (SER) in which a passenger’s power bank exploded and emitted smoke while charging. The power bank burst because onboard staff had not disconnected the power supply during the prohibited hours.
In a letter dated 26 October, the Board said, “Recently, an instance has occurred in SER wherein onboard staff did not switch off the mobile charging points during the aforesaid period. Subsequently, during charging, a passenger’s power bank exploded with smoke.” It added that all zonal railways must issue instructions to staff to ensure that charging points are always switched off from 11 pm to 5 am, with no exceptions. The order also directed zones to train staff and conduct surprise inspections at both officer and supervisor levels to enforce compliance.
The decision to switch off electrical socket points in trains was first made in June 2014 on the recommendation of the Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS). That recommendation followed a 2013 fire incident in an AC 3‑tier coach of the Hazur Sahib Nanded–KSR Bengaluru Express in the Bengaluru division of the South Western Railway zone. In a 2014 letter, the Board noted that the CRS had advised that power points in AC coaches be switched off between 10 pm and 6 am, and later advised a shift to 11 pm to 5 am for safety and passenger convenience. Stickers were also recommended to inform passengers of the restriction.
In November 2023, a fire broke out at about 5:25 pm in a sleeper‑class coach of the New Delhi–Darbhanga Humsafar Clone Special on the Sarai Bhopat–Etawah section of the North Central Railway’s Prayagraj Division. The flames engulfed the coach before spreading to adjacent coaches. The CRS report following that incident recommended that mobile charging points also be switched off overnight in sleeper‑class coaches, mirroring the practice in AC coaches. The Railway Board confirmed that AC coach charging points were being disconnected during the prescribed hours but noted that deploying staff to enforce the same arrangement in non‑AC coaches was impractical due to cost.
South East Central Railway (SECR) issued a reminder to all its divisions on 6 March after noting that charging points in AC coaches on trains passing through its Nagpur Division were frequently left powered overnight, contrary to the Board’s instructions. SECR warned that unattended devices left charging overnight could pose a fire hazard and leave passengers’ phones vulnerable to theft.
The Railway Board has not specified how passengers can charge their devices during the restricted hours; they would need to charge them beforehand.
Frequently asked questions
What hours are charging sockets required to be switched off?
Charging sockets must be switched off from 11 pm to 5 am.
Why did the Railway Board issue this order?
The order followed an incident on the South Eastern Railway where a passenger’s power bank exploded while charging because staff did not switch off the charging points during the prohibited hours.
What incidents led to the 2014 rule?
A 2013 fire incident in an AC 3‑tier coach of the Hazur Sahib Nanded–KSR Bengaluru Express prompted the Commissioner of Railway Safety to recommend switching off charging points overnight, leading to the 2014 rule.