Passengers disallowed to charge electronic devices on board trains at night

New Delhi: The Indian Railways has decided to disallow passengers from using mobile charging stations onboard trains between 11p.m. and 5 a.m. as a precautionary measure against spread of fire, senior officials said on Tuesday. The Western Railway has already put things in motion on March 16 by cutting off supply to these charging ports between this period.

“In view of the recent incidents of fire, we have done the needful. It is a precautionary measure and even earlier the Railway Board had issued such orders. The power from the main switchboard for these points will be switched off from 11 pm to 5 am,” Sumit Thakur, CPRO of Western Railway told reporters.

This comes after recent incidents of fire reported in some trains. According to railway officials, the decision to restrict the use of the charging ports was taken as a precautionary measure. Officials suggested that the points used for charging mobile phones and other electronic devices should be switched off at night due to the report of fire accidents caused by short circuit.