The South Wales Valley rail network is experiencing an increase in cable thefts, leading to significant disruption for passengers and costly repairs of over three quarters of a million pounds.
On the morning of Friday 19 September, multiple signalling cables were found damaged and stolen on the Rhymney line between Bargoed and Caerphilly.
Damage to the signalling cables brought all passenger services to a halt. A team of engineers from Amey Infrastructure Wales (AIW) worked to repair the damage, but disruption continued throughout the weekend before services were restored by Sunday.
Just as services were returning to normal, approximately 150 metres of overhead wires were cut and removed near Tir Phil shortly afterwards in the early hours of Monday 22 September. Teams were dispatched to safely remove the damaged wires, causing further cancellations.
The estimated costs of the repairs from just these two incidents alone are expected to be over £750,000, not including the additional cost of cancelled passenger services and delay minutes on the Rhymney line.
These incidents have also affected other TfW lines, with incidents being reported elsewhere on the South Wales Valley lines. Ten metres of signalling cable near Fernhill on the Aberdare line was stolen during the morning of Tuesday 23 September, with another cable theft reported from the same area on the morning of Wednesday 24 September.
Dan Tipper, Chief Infrastructure Officer for Transport for Wales said:
“Cable and wire thefts across our network not only cost the taxpayer significant amounts due to the cost to repair and replace this equipment, over £750,000 pounds in just the last week alone, but also leads to delays and cancellations, impacting our passengers who rely on our rail network.”
“Every pound spent repairing damage from this vandalism is a pound taken away from investing into better services for our communities.”
Superintendent Andy Morgan, British Transport Police, added: “Cable theft is not a victimless crime – it results in enormous delays and disruption to services which impacts the everyday users of the railway. We are committed to tackling all forms of theft and work closely with Transport for Wales, Network Rail and other industry partners to make the railway a hostile place for criminals to operate. Our network of uniformed and plain clothes officers, as well as a substantial CCTV camera network, are looking out for you 24/7 when you use the railway network.
“There is also the additional cost to very expensive projects, that ultimately delay the completion of these projects as well, so the impact of such theft goes well beyond the initial material costs. There can also be a real personal cost. Power running through overhead cables is 100 times stronger than your supply at home : enough electricity to kill your or leave you with life-changing injuries. Electricity can jump, so you don’t even need to touch a cable to be seriously injured. It isn’t worth trespassing on the tracks for personal gain at the cost of your life.
“I would also like to appeal to the public, who are frequently disrupted by this criminal activity, to be our eyes out there, and if you see anything that is suspicious, anyone trespassing on the lines, then please report that to us. In an emergency please dial 999 and ask for the Police, or alternatively you can text BTP directly on 61016.”
In response to the recent surge in thefts, TfW are enhancing security measures and patrols across the Valleys network, as well as working closely with the British Transport Police to investigate incidents and prosecute the offenders.
