Cable thefts from railway tracks soar in Catalonia

Thefts of railway materials on the tracks of Adif, the state railway infrastructure operator, have soared over the past three months. 

So far this year, there have been 135 thefts of railway materials throughout Catalonia, nearly double the number recorded throughout the entire 2022, which amounted to 70 incidents.

Between September and November of this year alone, a total of 46 incidents were recorded across the network, most of which involved the theft of copper cables.

The sharpest increase occurred in the Barcelona area, where the number of incidents increased by six times compared to the same period in 2022.  

Adif has linked the increase to the numerous ongoing construction projects on the Catalan network, as most incidents occur in areas under construction and are more accessible.  

However, they also acknowledged that the current geopolitical situation and the rising cable prices have contributed to the problem.