Repeated cable thefts are wreaking havoc on the high-speed rail line between Madrid and Andalucia, it has emerged.
The Madrid-Malaga AVE line has suffered around six major disruptions in the first eight days of July, with cable thefts the main culprits.
According to rail infrastructure operator Adif, thieves have struck three times in just five days in the areas around Urda, Malagon and Ciudad Real, disrupting signalling and other critical railway systems.
The latest theft on Tuesday caused delays of up to 50 minutes, while trains on Saturday were delayed by more than an hour.
Adif has responded by increasing security patrols across the affected stretch of railway.
The public operator already had three patrol teams monitoring the area but is now deploying two additional patrols, while working alongside Spain’s police and security forces to prevent further thefts.
The company warned that the repeated cable thefts are creating ‘technically difficult’ faults that lead to lengthy service disruptions and inconvenience for passengers, while also posing safety risks.
Across Spain, Adif says it has recorded nine cable theft incidents so far this month, with six occurring in the past week alone.
A week of disruption
Cable theft has not been the only problem affecting the southern high-speed corridor.
Passengers travelling between Malaga and Madrid have also faced delays caused by electrical failures, a fault at Madrid Atocha’s maintenance facilities, signalling problems and wildfire near the railway line.
The result has been almost one significant incident every day since the start of July.
A recurring summer problem
The latest thefts have echoes of a major incident in May last year, when then Transport Minister Oscar Puente described a series of cable thefts near La Sagra, Mora and Urda as ‘serious sabotage’.
On that occasion, thieves stole signalling cable from four separate locations within a 10km stretch of track, affecting safety systems and forcing trains serving Andalucia to operate at reduced speeds.
More than 6,300 passengers on 21 trains were affected during the busy May bank holiday return period.
Read more Andalucia news at the Spanish Eye.
