Railways warns passengers: Use earphones or face fine under amended law

Railways backs earphone rule with penalties under amended law. The latest push comes from Southern Railway.

Watching reels on speaker or taking a long call at full volume in a train coach could now get expensive. Indian Railways has started warning passengers that playing audio without earphones, or talking loudly on the phone, can attract a fine and, in some cases, imprisonment.

What the rule says

The action is based on Section 145(2) of the Railways Act, 1989, which covers passengers who cause a nuisance or disturbance to others. The section already allowed action against such behaviour but did not clearly state a penalty. The Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Act, 2026 changed that.

Under the amended provision, a passenger found creating a nuisance can be fined ₹1,000. Their ticket can also be cancelled and they can be removed from the train.

Passengers who ignore a warning from the Travelling Ticket Examiner or another authorised railway official face a harsher penalty. They can be jailed for up to six months, fined up to ₹5,000, or both.

Using earphones is allowed. Watching videos, listening to music and making calls remain fine as long as nobody else is disturbed.

Southern Railway's circular

The latest push comes from Southern Railway. Its commercial department issued a circular saying that cheap, fast mobile internet has led to a sharp rise in people playing videos and songs on speaker mode on trains and at stations.

Staff at stations and on trains have been told to make regular announcements in regional languages, Hindi and English, asking passengers to use earphones and keep calls short and quiet.

None of this is entirely new. In 2012 the Railway Board issued guidelines against loud phone conversations, long calls and noisy ringtones in coaches. The difference now is that the nuisance provision has a clear penalty attached.

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How to complain

A passenger who is being disturbed can tell the TTE directly, call the railway helpline 139, or use the Railways app. Reports also mention the RailMadad portal as a channel for complaints. Railway officials have advised against confronting the offender, and say it is better to ask the staff to step in.

Same law for metro

The same law is being applied on city metros. Chennai Metro Rail has announced that passengers who use speaker mode or play loud content can be fined up to ₹2,500, up from ₹500 earlier, under the Metro Railways (Operation and Maintenance) Act, 2002.

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