Railways to strictly enforce overnight mobile charging ban on trains

Senior railway officials said a circular mandating the shutdown of mobile charging circuits during night travel had been issued more than a decade ago. However, the rule was apparently not being enforced consistently on some trains.

Train passengers will no longer be allowed to keep their mobile phones charging overnight, with the Railway Board issuing strict instructions to all zonal railways to switch off charging points between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m.

In an official communication, the Board has directed railway authorities to conduct surprise inspections in coaches during overnight journeys. Both officers and supervisory staff have been asked to ensure strict compliance with the directive, with no exceptions permitted under any circumstances.

Senior railway officials said a circular mandating the shutdown of mobile charging circuits during night travel had been issued more than a decade ago. However, the rule was apparently not being enforced consistently on some trains.

The Railway Board’s renewed insistence on implementing the measure follows a recent incident in the South Eastern Railway (SER) zone. Railway staff reportedly failed to switch off charging points during the prescribed hours, leading to a power bank explosion while a mobile was being charged. The incident caused smoke and panic among passengers, although no major injuries were reported.

However, some officials believe the focus should be on preventing the charging of power banks during the six-hour overnight period rather than restricting mobile phone charging altogether. They also argued that the number of charging points in coaches should not be increased indiscriminately.

Meanwhile, train services on the South Central Railway (SCR) route towards Visakhapatnam, including the Godavari Express, Visakha Express and other services, resumed operations on Wednesday after a day’s disruption caused by Cyclone Arnab. Services were restored following an improvement in weather conditions.

However, at least 11 pairs of connecting express trains operating from Visakhapatnam, Kakinada, Narsapur and Srikakulam to Secunderabad, Lingampalli and Cherlapalli remained cancelled. Railway officials said normal services are expected to be restored on Thursday. Around six trains, including the Visakhapatnam-Mumbai Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (LTT) Express and the Cherlapalli-Shalimar Express, were rescheduled by 180 to 280 minutes, a senior railway official said.