Railway cable theft remains rife across Belgium and continues to wreak havoc for the Belgian railway system. Annually, it results in an average of one hour 15 minutes delay in train traffic, while maintenance works are being postponed due to the crime.
For years now, copper cables have been stolen from the rail network in Belgium. In 2022, the number of thefts tripled, resulting in traffic being severely disrupted until the damage was repaired. In 2023, Infrabel, the body in charge of railway maintenance, recorded 451 cable thefts – more than one every day.
While the number of thefts dropped by 13% in Wallonia, the crime remains more prevalent in this region (accounting for 70% of thefts). It is also spreading to Flanders, where the largest increase in these thefts was recorded (+10%).
"This theft not only causes financial damage, but it also seriously disrupts train traffic and impacts punctuality," the federal police said in a statement, noting that the phenomenon is a nuisance for both passengers and Infrabel. "It causes 24,849 minutes of delay annually, an average of almost one hour 15 minutes per day."
These thefts are also affecting Infrabel's work schedule: railroad personnel have to postpone maintenance or modernisation of the tracks to carry out emergency repairs instead.
Additional measures
The previous rise in thefts in 2022 triggered a series of measures to prevent the cables from being stolen, actions which according to the police are beginning to bear fruit. Since the beginning of last year, Infrabel and the railroad police have also joined forces to better combat the issue.
Infrabel started marking and burying cable – even though that also makes it more difficult for the maintenance teams – as well as installing GPS trackers and replacing copper with aluminium, which is less in demand.
Meanwhile, the railway police is carrying out additional control actions, leading to 25 perpetrators of cable theft being convicted in 2023. Together, they received 32 years and ten months of prison time, 720 hours of community service and €16,240 in fines. "These measures led to a slight decrease in the number of thefts," the police said.
