Southern Railway penalises loud calls, speakerphone use on trains

Southern Railway has directed its divisions to enforce a ban on playing music or videos on speaker mode and making loud phone calls at railway stations and inside trains, with penalties under Section 145(2) of the Railways Act as amended by the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Act, 2026. Offenders can be removed from railway premises, fined up to Rs 1,000 and forfeit their pass or ticket. If the nuisance continues after an authorised railway servant directs them to stop, the penalty rises to simple imprisonment of up to six months and a fine of up to Rs 5,000. Commercial staff of ticket examiner rank or above can impose the Rs 1,000 penalty.

In a letter dated October 16, Southern Railway's headquarters commercial branch cited the widespread availability of mobile internet as a reason for the rise in such behaviour, which it said was adversely affecting the comfort of fellow passengers. Divisions have been asked to make announcements in regional languages, Hindi and English over public address systems and display notices, and to submit an implementation report by Tuesday, October 20. The directive also references a 2012 Railway Board communication that had flagged similar complaints about loud phone conversations particularly in air-conditioned coaches.