Media centre

Monday 20 Jun 2005

£10,000 REWARD FOR INFORMATION ON RAILWAY VANDALS

Region & Route:

| Southern

Network Rail and train operator ‘one’ are offering a £10,000 reward for information leading to the successful prosecution of vandals who severed signalling and communications cables on the London to Norwich main line on Friday.  Sergeant Andrew Cook of the British Transport Police said: “This appears to have been a malicious attack with the intent of severely disrupting the railway.  We are appealing for witnesses to come forward who may have seen anybody acting suspiciously in the area where the incidents occurred.  We would welcome any information that might lead to the apprehension and possible conviction of the offenders.” The vandalism is believed to have taken place between 9pm and 10pm on Thursday 16 June in the area of Newton Flotman, just south of Norwich.  It lead to the failure of signalling and telecoms systems on the busy commuter route, resulting in substantial delays for passengers travelling to and from London. Jon Wiseman, Network Rail Route Director, added: “This despicable act of vandalism has caused huge inconvenience to rail travellers.  We had to launch a major operation to keep trains running while we repaired the damage, diverting staff from other important activities around the region.  We are working closely with the British Transport Police and hope that the offer of this reward will help to uncover vital evidence to bring these criminals to justice.” As part of the emergency operation, approximately 50 staff were mobilised and sent out to site, with a further 10 people directing operations from the Anglia Integrated Control Centre at Liverpool Street.  While engineers worked on the lengthy process of repairing the cable damage, signallers used manual methods to direct trains and keep passengers on the move. Tim Clarke, ‘one’ Managing Director, said: “This was an unprecedented act of pre-meditated vandalism which caused significant disruption for thousands of rail passengers.  We hope this offer of a substantial reward will lead to information to assist the British Transport Police in identifying the culprits.” One of the severed cables was carrying an electric charge of 650 volts and it is possible that the perpetrator/s may have sustained burn injuries.  Any information should be reported to the British Transport Police on 01603 623 402 or 0800 40 50 40.