I can’t help wondering how the cable thieves that have been plaguing our line over the last few months know when the power is switched off. Granted there was one death back in the summer when the lines were still live at the point of being cut, but whatever the value of scrap copper it still strikes me as far too big a risk when you know there may be 25,000 volts running through those cables.
Are they getting information from someone on the inside?
Over ten days this month there have been four thefts, in Chelmsford, Marks Tey, Kelvedon and Boreham. The most serious resulted not only in the loss of 100m of cable, but also signalling and communications equipment, which was destroyed by a subsequent fire.
Since April, according to Network Rail’s own figures, the East Anglia region has seen more than 50 thefts or incidents in which cables have been damaged by would-be thieves.
The compensation costs alone, paid to disrupted travellers, amounts to £2m taken from Network Rail’s coffers, but that doesn’t take into account the cost to business. With 500 trains cancelled and a further 2000+ delayed on a line running into London, one of the world’s financial capitals, the economic impact is difficult to judge.
The sooner all copper cabling is replaced with aluminium alternatives, the better – for commuters, for rail companies, and for the thieves who are routinely risking their lives.
