{
  "id": 17345971,
  "title": "Railways board changes charging rules, orders all zones to switch off socket points between 11 pm and 5 am: Here's why",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/31/railways-board-changes-charging-rules-orders-all-zones-to-switch-off",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-10-31T05:41:24.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Live Mint",
    "slug": "live-mint",
    "url": "https://www.livemint.com/news/india/railways-board-changes-charging-rules-orders-all-zones-to-switch-off-socket-points-between-11-pm-and-5-am-heres-why-11793411409330.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Railway Board has recently issued a rule requiring all zones to switch off mobile phone and laptop charging sockets in train coaches between 11 pm and 5 am. This decision comes after an incident on South Eastern Railway, where a passenger's power bank exploded and emitted smoke while charging. The incident occurred because onboard staff had not disconnected the power supply during the prohibited hours. The Railway Board emphasized that this rule is strictly enforced, with surprise inspections at both officer and supervisor levels to ensure compliance. In response to the November 2023 fire in a sleeper-class coach on the New Delhi–Darbhanga Humsafar Clone Special, the board recommended switching off charging points in sleeper-class coaches overnight as well. Although the board has not specified how passengers can charge their devices during the restricted hours, they would need to charge their phones and laptops beforehand.",
  "summary": "The Railway Board has asked all railway zones to enforce overnight restrictions on mobile phone and laptop charging in train coaches. What are the prescribed hours, what does the latest directive say, and how will passengers charge their devices? Here is a look at the rule.",
  "key_points": [
    "Railway Board mandates socket points switch off 11 pm to 5 am.",
    "Incident on South Eastern Railway: power bank explosion due to unattended charging.",
    "Board conducts surprise inspections to enforce charging rule compliance."
  ],
  "editors_take": "Prioritizing passenger safety over device convenience, the new mandate shifts the responsibility of power management to travelers to prevent fire hazards caused by faulty equipment during overnight hours.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}