Published : 29/09/2026
High-speed trains are the preferred mode of transport for many people in China now, but you might not know that opening an umbrella on a high-speed rail platform is actually not allowed, or even strictly prohibited, because it can create these risks...
Passengers holding umbrellas easily get electric shocks on high-speed rail platforms?
The issue of holding up umbrellas on high-speed railway station platforms gained attention in China, with one key date being the 3 of July 2025.
On that day, there was a torrential downpour in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, and the waiting hall at Chengdu East Railway Station was leaking severely, causing the incident to become a trending topic.
At this point, some netizens noticed a detail in a related video: raindrops were being blown by strong winds onto the platform, which had only a semi-enclosed canopy, so some waiting passengers put up their umbrellas.
When station staff saw this, they immediately used a megaphone to repeatedly remind them, "Passengers waiting on the platform, do not hold up umbrellas".
Netizens were curious: why can't you hold up an umbrella on a high-speed railway station platform?
Chengdu East Railway Station is by no means an isolated case where umbrellas are forbidden.
Afterwards, some netizens posted photos showing that some high-speed railway stations even have notices posted on the platforms, explicitly stating "No Umbrellas".
Following this, netizens discussed the matter animatedly, and someone offered an explanation: because there is an overhead catenary system, which are the power cables that supply electricity to the trains, running above the high-speed rail tracks. Opening an umbrella is feared to risk passengers getting electrocuted.
A 2-metre safe distance from high-voltage electrical equipment
The voltage of a high-speed rail contact network can reach up to 27.5 kilovolts, which is 125 times the voltage of household electricity, and there is a strong electric field around it.
Once the human body or a conductive object gets too close to it, it may cause the danger of electric shock.
The claim that opening an umbrella on a high-speed rail platform could cause an electric shock seems reasonable and quickly spread, but is it the main reason why umbrellas are not allowed on platforms?
The media subsequently quoted relevant technical personnel as saying that the possibility of a passenger receiving an electric shock from holding an umbrella on the platform is not zero, but it could only occur under a series of stringent conditions.
These include large amounts of standing water on the platform, the passenger holding an umbrella with a conductive metal tip, being too close to the contact network, and so on.
What is considered "too close"?
The railway authorities stipulate that the safe distance for people from high-voltage power supply equipment is 2 metres.
Using geometric calculations, if a passenger who is 1.75 metres tall stands inside the safety line, 1 metre from the platform edge, while holding an umbrella, the distance between the tip of the umbrella and the contact network would be approximately 4.1 metres.
This is more than double the safe distance, making the chance of an electric shock extremely low.
The risk of being "sucked" towards the train
If the fear of electric shock is not the main reason, then why can you not hold up an umbrella on the platform? There are three reasons.
Firstly, there is the aerodynamic suction effect.
A train travelling at high speed causes the airflow around it to accelerate, and the air pressure in the area at the edge of the platform is consequently reduced. If a passenger is facing the train, the airflow behind them is relatively slower, and the air pressure is relatively higher.
Between the fast and slow airflow, and the low and high pressure, a pressure differential is formed, which exerts a pushing force on the human body. This is the reason why passengers feel a "gust of wind" as a train passes.
In this situation, an open umbrella has a larger surface area exposed to the wind, acting like an "amplifier" for the invisible pushing force, which increases the risk of the umbrella holder being "sucked" towards the train.
The vast majority of high-speed rail platforms have canopies
Secondly, there is the risk of foreign objects falling.
Heavy rainfall is often accompanied by strong winds, and if an umbrella is blown onto the tracks, or even gets entangled in the overhead catenary system, it could affect the normal operation and safety of the trains.
Finally, there are considerations for platform order.
Even though the speed of a stopping train entering a station is much slower than that of a non-stopping train passing through and does not create a "suction effect", high-speed rail platforms are crowded, and open umbrellas can easily obstruct passage and block people's views.
Therefore, the railway authorities remind passengers that when there is a "No Umbrellas" warning sign on a high-speed rail platform, they should proactively put away their umbrellas; even if there are no such signs on the platform, passengers should prioritise taking shelter from the rain under the platform canopy or wear a raincoat or waterproof clothing instead of using an umbrella.
In fact, most high-speed rail station platforms in China have semi-enclosed or fully enclosed canopies, which can shelter passengers from wind and rain under normal circumstances.
Read more:
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Why does first high-speed train of the day in China not carry passengers?
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