Media centre

Wednesday 6 Aug 2008

£5,000 REWARD TO FIND RAIL CABLE VANDALS

Region & Route:

A reward of up to £5,000 is being offered for information leading to the prosecution of vandals who caused major disruption to trains south of Durham on 26 July.

Vital cables were cut 30 times at Littleburn in the early hours of the morning resulting in a total loss of signalling and stopping train movements. An axe was found nearby.

Warrick Dent, area general manager for Network Rail said: "The thoughtless and dangerous actions of these individuals has resulted in massive disruption for thousands of passengers travelling between England and Scotland on a very busy weekend and taken up limited railway resources. Not only was signalling cable cut but also fibre optic and data cables. It took seven telecoms staff and 13 specialist signalling engineers many hours to restore systems.

"I am appealing directly to anyone who knows who committed this mindless act to come forward. Network Rail is willing to pay up to £5,000 for information which leads to an arrest and conviction."

In all 12 services were fully cancelled and 35 part-cancelled. There were also delays to a further 271 trains. The cost of compensating train operators for the delay is estimated at £136,000.

Detective Chief Inspector Danny Snee, of British Transport Police (BTP), added; “Cable crime is extremely dangerous, and also costly to the rail industry. It can cause hours of delays to thousands of passengers who rely on the rail network. The destruction that is caused really is an attack on the community.

“BTP is continuing to work with Network Rail and train operating companies to tackle the issue and ensure people who carry out such crimes are arrested, charged and brought before the courts.

“Railway lines are operational 24 hours a day; trespassing can prove fatal. Strong currents also pass through the cables and can pass 650 volts through anyone who touches them.”

Anyone with information about this crime is asked to contact the BTP on 0800 40 50 40, quoting log refereence 74 of 26/07/08.