Cable thieves in Castleton cause chaos on railway

Hundred of Rochdale commuters were stranded at Manchester Victoria as cable thieves brought chaos to the local rail network.

More than 120 trains on the Rochdale-Oldham loop line were delayed and a further 41 were cancelled in a day of disruption on Monday after copper thieves sliced off 100 metres of cable from the tracks near Castleton.

Buses replaced some services, but many other passengers faced severe delays, and had no choice but to wait for announcements as the station became increasingly clogged with frustrated travellers.

One member of staff at the station, who did not want to be named, said: “They will probably get about £200 for the cable they have nicked and look at the chaos they have caused.

“Each rail replacement bus costs around £4,000 to put on and the bill for replacing the cable will probably run to £30,000.”

British Transport Police believe the thieves broke through a fence panel to collect their haul, which included power, signalling and telephone cable.

Trains were stopped in their tracks and others were grounded at stations as the theft caused all the signals to default to red, disrupting hundreds of journeys between 2pm and 9.30pm.

One commuter said: “It was just sheer chaos and confusion and none of the staff seemed to have a clue what was going on. Firstly we were all told to get on a train which was going to Oldham and then, as soon as we were all squashed on there like sardines, they told us the train wasn’t going anywhere.

“I then stood on the station for 20 minutes, before realising that there was a train for Oldham right behind me. By the time the staff confirmed it was the Oldham train, it was already full and there was no room for me, but I don’t know how they all knew to get on it, because there wasn’t a single announcement.”

The rising price of metal on world markets has fuelled a surge in metal theft and police have investigated 21 cases of cable theft in Greater Manchester alone in the last month.

While cable thieves are often low-level offenders, police say there is evidence of organised crime involvement and the problem is on an international scale.

Transport police regularly patrol hotspot areas and have secured a number of convictions in recent months, which have resulted in imprisonment. A spokesperson for the British Transport Police said: “Cable thieves should remember that not only are they putting themselves at huge risk of being killed by a passing train or being electrocuted, but we will pursue them vigorously.”

Anyone with any information about the theft is asked to contact the British Transport Police on freephone: 0800-405040.

A spokesperson for Northern rail said:”Cable theft on the Oldham loop line affected trains in and out of Manchester Victoria and unfortunately, as a result, services were subject to last minute alterations.

“In times of disruption, we make every effort to keep our customers informed. We apologise to the customer who felt we didn’t do this on this occasion and for any inconvenience this caused.”