1,000 copper thefts on Catalonia's railway system since 2010

The number of copper wire thefts on Catalonia's railway system has risen up to almost 1,000 since 2010, according to data provided bypolice Mossos d'Esquadra police force. 

Catalonia saw the thefts increase signficantly in 2023, when the number tripled compared to the previous year, up to 92 offences. 

From January to May of 2024, the network saw 52 thefts, more than all the cases registered for any year since 2016.  

The year with the most thefts registered was 2014 with 240, followed by 2015 with 221. After that, the number of cases had not surpassed 40, until 2023. 

According to Adif, the railway infrastructure operator, the increase in thefts is related to all of the repairs that are taking place on the Catalan network, as areas being worked on are more accessible.

In addition, the price of copper wire has increased in the past years, which makes it a more valuable material. 

The data provided by the police, which was requested by the Catalan News Agency, does not indicate the quantity of cable stolen, nor its price in most cases. Only on 80 instances is there such data available. 

Adding up those 80 cases, the price of the stolen copper amounts to €5 million.  

The western city of Lleida has suffered most copper cable thefts with a total of 69. This is followed by 53 thefts in Barcelona and 51 in L’Hospitalet de Llobregat.  

Barcelona's metropolitan area is the area of Catalonia with the most incidents.  

One of the most recent cases of cable theft took place on May 12, coinciding with the Catalan election. 

The incident caused major disruption to the train service and no commuter train lines were able to reach Barcelona.