Significant disruption and repairs costing over three-quarters of a million pounds have been caused by increasing cable thefts along the South Wales Valley network.

Signalling cables were found damaged or stolen on Friday, 19th September, on the Rhymney line between Bargoed and Caerphilly.

The damage caused all services to be stopped while a team of engineers worked on the damage; however, the disruption continued until services returned to normal on Sunday.

Following this, on Monday, 22nd September, around 150 metres of overhead wires were removed near Tir Phil in the early hours.

Teams were able to head out to remove the damaged wires to prevent any further cancellations.

From these two incidents alone, and not taking into account service cancellations, they have cost Transport for Wales (TfW) over £750,000.

Further incidents have been reported since those two, with 10 metres of signalling cable stolen near Fernhill on the 23rd, and a secondary cable theft in the same area on the 24th.

As a result, TfW is increasing its security measures and patrols across the network and is working with the British Transport Police (BTP) to investigate the incidents.

Both TfW and BTP are calling on the public, specifically those who live near the railway line, to report any suspicious activity.

British Transport Police can be contacted on 0800 40 50 40 or by texting 61016 for non-emergencies. If a crime is in progress, call 999.

“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.”

Superintendent Andy Morgan, British Transport Police