Power bank explosion prompts Railway Board to reiterate train charging restrictions

The Railway Board has reiterated its 2014 directive to switch off mobile phone and laptop charging points in train coaches between 11 pm and 5 am. The move follows a power bank explosion and renewed concerns over fire safety

New Delhi: The Railway Board has asked all its zones to comply with its 2014 order directing that all mobile phone and laptop charging points in train coaches be switched off between 11 pm and 5 am to ensure fire safety.

“Recently, an incident occurred in SER (South Eastern Railway) in which onboard staff did not switch off the mobile charging points during the aforesaid period. Subsequently, while a device was being charged, a passenger’s power bank exploded, emitting smoke,” the Board said in its letter dated October 26.

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“In view of the above, all Zonal Railways are advised to issue necessary instructions to all concerned staff to ensure strict compliance, with mobile charging points invariably remaining switched off from 11 pm to 5 am,” it stated, adding that no exceptions should be made.

It has also directed the zones to suitably train the concerned staff to ensure effective implementation of and compliance with these instructions.

“Further, surprise inspections should be conducted at both the officers’ and supervisors’ levels to ensure strict compliance with these instructions,” it said.

In June 2014, the Railway Board decided for the first time to switch off electrical socket points in trains on the recommendation of the Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS), following a fire incident in 2013 in an AC 3-tier coach of the Hazur Sahib Nanded–KSR Bengaluru Express in the Bengaluru division of the South Western Railway zone.

“The CRS, Southern Circle, in his report, 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.

It added, “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.”

In November 2023, another fire incident occurred in a sleeper-class coach of the New Delhi–Darbhanga Humsafar Clone Special in the Sarai Bhopat–Etawah section of the Prayagraj Division of North Central Railway at around 5.25 pm. The fire spread throughout the coach and engulfed the adjoining coaches.

The CRS, in his report, recommended, among other measures, that mobile charging points in sleeper-class coaches also be switched off, in line with the practice followed in AC coaches.

In its action-taken report, the Railway Board stated that charging points were switched off in AC coaches during the stipulated hours. However, it added that deploying staff to implement such an arrangement in non-AC coaches was not feasible due to the high cost involved.

On March 6, the South East Central Railway issued similar instructions to all its divisions, stating that “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”.

“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.