"Detectives are warning cable thieves bringing chaos to train and Eurostar services their activities will not be tolerated, as the bill reached 12.1 million and caused over 202,000 hours of delays. British Transport Police hit out after one brazen offender, Frank Lane, 47, was jailed for brazenly stealing metal from a railway depot in broad daylight. The soaring value of raw materials such as copper means wiring used to power the network has become a multi-million pound haul for criminals."
"So far in 2025, there have 102 incidents of theft of live cable across the railway, causing 104,737 minutes of train delays and costing 5.1million. Last year, there were 108 cable thefts, Network Rail said, causing 69,275 minutes of train delays and costing 3.3 m. That represented a 48 per cent rise on 2023 when there were 73, 46,464 minutes of delays at a bill of 3.7m."
"A dedicated security team has been set up to combat the scourge with better CCTV monitoring and cables that are harder to steal and easier to identify. A dark fibre intruder detection system trialled in the Anglia region works by transforming existing optic cables into a sort of listening device. If it detect unusual vibrations such as footsteps or digging, the tech sends a real-time alert to a control room."
Cable thefts have caused £12.1 million in damage and over 202,000 hours of train delays. So far in 2025 there have been 102 incidents of live-cable theft, causing 104,737 minutes of delays and costing £5.1 million. Last year saw 108 thefts causing 69,275 minutes of delays and costing £3.3 million, a 48% rise from 2023. The rising value of metals such as copper has increased the incentive for criminals. Police jailed Frank Lane for stealing metal at a Bedford depot in broad daylight. Network Rail has created a security team, upgraded CCTV, hardened cables, and trialled dark-fibre vibration detection.
Read at www.standard.co.uk
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