Find out whyNew Delhi,Oct 28, 2026 17:18 ISTThe Railway Board has directed all railway zones to strictly enforce its 2014 order requiring mobile phone and laptop charging points in train coaches to be switched off between 11 pm and 5 am as a fire-safety measure. The reminder followed an incident in the South Eastern Railway in which a passenger’s power bank exploded and emitted smoke while being charged during the restricted hours.The order was introduced after a 2013 fire in an air-conditioned coach and was later examined following another coach fire in November 2023.
The South East Central Railway has also flagged instances of charging points remaining powered through the night, citing the risks of fire and theft.In a letter dated October 26, the Railway Board said onboard employees in the South Eastern Railway had failed to disconnect the charging points during the prescribed period. A passenger’s power bank subsequently exploded while being charged, producing smoke.The board asked every zonal railway to issue instructions to the employees concerned and ensure that charging facilities remain switched off without exception from 11 pm to 5 am.
It also directed the zones to provide suitable training to staff for effective implementation of the order. Officers and supervisors have been told to carry out surprise inspections to verify compliance with the instructions.The Railway Board first decided in June 2014 to disconnect electrical charging sockets in trains after receiving a recommendation from the Commissioner of Railway Safety.
The recommendation followed a 2013 fire in an AC three-tier coach of the Hazur Sahib Nanded–KSR Bengaluru Express in the Bengaluru division of the South Western Railway. In his report, the Commissioner of Railway Safety, Southern Circle, had proposed that charging sockets for mobile phones and laptops in air-conditioned coaches be turned off between 10 pm and 6 am.
After considering safety and passenger convenience, the board fixed the restricted period from 11 pm to 5 am. The railways were also asked to place stickers at designated locations in all air-conditioned coaches to inform passengers about the restriction.Another fire broke out at around 5.25 pm in November 2023 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 spread across the coach and reached adjoining coaches.Following that incident, the Commissioner of Railway Safety recommended, among other measures, that mobile charging points in sleeper-class coaches also be disconnected in the same manner as those in air-conditioned coaches. In its action-taken report, the Railway Board said charging points in air-conditioned coaches were being switched off during the specified hours.
However, it said deploying staff for the same arrangement in non-air-conditioned coaches was not feasible because of the high cost.On March 6, the South East Central Railway issued similar directions to all its divisions. It said charging points in air-conditioned coaches of trains passing through its Nagpur Division were frequently kept powered throughout the night, contrary to the Railway Board’s order.
According to the zone, unattended devices being charged overnight posed a potential fire hazard and increased the possibility of passengers’ mobile phones being stolen.The latest direction reiterates that charging points must remain disconnected from 11 pm to 5 am, with staff training and surprise inspections to ensure compliance with the fire-safety requirement.- Ends