Railway board repeats 2014 order: No charging in trains from 11 pm to 5 am

The Railway Board has again asked all zones to switch off charging points in train coaches between 11 pm and 5 am. The instruction repeats an order first issued in 2014 and is aimed at preventing fires on board.

Under the order, power to the mobile and laptop charging points in coaches is cut from the main switchboard at 11 pm and restored at 5 am. During these six hours, passengers cannot charge phones, laptops, power banks or other electronic devices using the sockets in their coaches.

Why the rule exists

The restriction dates back to 2014, when a fire broke out on the Bangalore-Hazur Sahib Nanded Express. After that incident, the Commissioner of Railway Safety recommended that charging points be turned off at night. The Railway Board then directed all railway zones to follow the 11 pm to 5 am timings.

Railway officials have said earlier that many minor fire incidents on long-distance trains were linked to the overcharging of electronic devices.

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Devices left plugged in all night inside a closed coach, with passengers asleep, were seen as a risk. Cutting the supply for these hours was introduced as a precaution.

When the same instruction was publicised in 2021, officials of Southern Railway described it as a reiteration of the Board's earlier orders, not a new rule. Western Railway said it had started cutting the supply to charging ports on March 16 that year.

What passengers should do

• Charge phones, laptops and power banks fully before boarding.
• Use the charging points before 11 pm or after 5 am.
• Carry a charged power bank for the night, as the sockets will not work during the restricted hours.
• Do not tamper with the charging sockets or try to bypass the supply.
• Avoid carrying inflammable items and do not smoke on trains, as these are also known causes of fires in coaches.

Railway officials have repeatedly pointed to a few common causes of onboard fires, including smoking, inflammable goods and electrical faults. The night-time switch-off is one of the simpler measures the Railways has put in place to cut that risk, and it applies to all passengers in coaches fitted with charging points.