Railways charging socket timing changed: Now mobile, laptop charging points in all train will be switched off after 11 pm

The Railway Board has directed all railway zones to ensure that mobile phone and laptop charging points in train coaches remain switched off between 11 pm and 5 am. The directive follows an incident in South Eastern Railway (SER), where a passenger's power bank exploded and produced smoke while charging because onboard staff had not switched off the charging points during the restricted hours, a PTI report stated.

In a letter dated October 26, the Railway Board asked all zones to strictly follow its 2014 order on switching off charging points during the night. It also directed railway officials to train the concerned staff and conduct surprise inspections to check compliance.

“Recently, an instance has occurred in SER (South Eastern Railway) 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,” the board said in its letter. The board made it clear that railway zones must not allow any exceptions to the instructions.

Railway Board reiterates 2014 order on charging points

The Railway Board first issued instructions to switch off charging points in train coaches in June 2014. The decision followed a fire in an AC 3-tier coach of the Hazur Sahib Nanded–KSR Bengaluru Express in 2013, within the Bengaluru division of South Western Railway. The order followed recommendations from the Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS), Southern Circle, who suggested restricting the use of charging points in air-conditioned coaches between 10 pm and 6 am.

“The CRS, Southern Circle, in his report, has recommended that in air-conditioned coaches, power points provided for charging mobile phones and laptops should be switched off between 10 pm and 6 am,” the board said in its 2014 letter.

However, the Railway Board prescribed a slightly different time window in its instructions. “In this regard, it is advised that power points provided for charging mobile phones and laptops in AC coaches should be switched off between 11 pm and 5 am, taking safety into consideration and for passengers’ convenience. Railways have also been advised to provide stickers in all AC coaches at specified locations to inform passengers of the restriction.”

The latest directive reiterates the six-hour restriction and places the responsibility on railway zones to ensure that staff follow it.

2023 train fire led to recommendations for sleeper coaches

The safety concerns also extend to non-AC coaches. In November 2023, a fire broke out in a sleeper-class coach of the New Delhi–Darbhanga Humsafar Clone Special at around 5.25 pm in the Sarai Bhopat–Etawah section of North Central Railway's Prayagraj Division.

The fire spread through the coach and engulfed adjoining coaches. Following the incident, the Commissioner of Railway Safety recommended that charging points in sleeper-class coaches should also be switched off, in line with the practice followed in AC coaches.

However, the Railway Board said in its action-taken report that charging points in AC coaches were already being switched off during the prescribed hours. It also stated that deploying staff to enforce the restriction in non-AC coaches was not feasible because of the high cost involved.

Railway zones flag fire and theft risks

The South East Central Railway (SECR) had also issued similar instructions to its divisions on March 6. The railway zone pointed out that charging points in AC coaches on trains passing through its Nagpur Division were often left powered throughout the night, contrary to the Railway Board's order.

“Mobile charging points provided in AC coaches of trains passing through Nagpur Division of SECR are often kept continuously energised throughout the night, which is in violation of the Railway Board’s order.” The SECR also highlighted the risks associated with leaving charging devices unattended during the night.

“This practice poses potential fire safety risks due to unattended charging devices and also increases the chances of theft of passengers’ mobile phones during night hours,” SECR said.

(Inputs from PTI)