Railway Board Orders Strict Overnight Charging Shutdown

The Railway Board has directed zonal railways to enforce an existing overnight shutdown of train charging points without exceptions, after reports that a power bank exploded while charging aboard a train. The board’s October 26 letter also calls for staff training and surprise inspections to check compliance with the 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. restriction. The directive applies to mobile-phone charging points and reiterates a rule introduced in 2014 for air-conditioned coaches. The Railway Board instructed railway officials to brief and train employees responsible for switching off the points, and said officers and supervisors should conduct surprise inspections. The letter describes the shutdown as mandatory, rather than announcing a new restriction. The reported incident occurred on October 24 near Bandamunda in Odisha. Two accounts identify the train as the down Mumbai-Howrah Mail, train No. 12809, and say a power bank exploded while connected to a charging point, producing smoke in a coach. They report that the train stopped for about 15 minutes before resuming its journey. One account says no injuries were reported. Another account describes the train as a Mumbai local, so the...