Cable theft becomes a real problem for Deutsche Bahn.
Because this causes numerous delays.
Now the railways are taking action against the criminal scam.
Munich – Deutsche Bahn is not exactly known for its punctuality.
Their punctuality rate continued to fall in 2022.
Delays and entire train cancellations are the order of the day.
There could be a variety of reasons for this.
For example, strikes that paralyzed traffic on Monday (March 27).
Another, rather strange reason is now becoming more and more of a problem for Deutsche Bahn: cable theft.
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If the infrastructure is damaged or stolen, this results in high economic costs.
© Jens Büttner/dpa
Cable theft caused 1800 hours delay at Deutsche Bahn
The dpa
reports that delays due to cable theft have increased in recent years
.
In 2022, 40 percent more trains were affected than in the previous year.
A total of 1800 hours of delay are at the expense of theft.
This was the highest level in five years.
The reason for increasing theft: the prices for non-ferrous metal and copper have risen sharply since the Ukraine war.
These materials can be found in the cables and are easily accessible to thieves.
Delays at Deutsche Bahn: 500 additional employees to prevent theft
The railway now wants to take action.
The criminal scam is to be counteracted with additional security forces.
For this reason, 100 more employees will be hired in 2023.
200 each in the two following years. In places that are particularly affected by theft, in the south-east of Germany and in the Ruhr area, the additional security forces are then to be deployed to minimize cable theft.
Wire stealing is proving lucrative for criminals.
The prices for non-ferrous metals have risen sharply on the world market.
For this reason, the proceeds for criminals are comparatively high.
The infrastructure is easily accessible to thieves.
However, the scam can also mean a high level of danger.
Because the cables are often charged with electricity and put the perpetrator at great risk.
"The whole thing is extremely dangerous," explains a spokeswoman for Deutsche Bahn to
ProSieben
.
“It is better not to stay along railway lines.
Those who do are putting themselves at high risk," the spokeswoman said.
Deutsche Bahn: Imprisonment from three months to ten years possible for cable theft
For large transport companies, the thefts have far-reaching economic consequences.
Because they lead to train cancellations, line closures and power failures.
These entail high costs.
The penalties for theft can therefore be relatively high.
According to
bussgeldkatalog.org
, penalties for cable theft range from three months to ten years in prison.
(Anna-Lena Kiegerl/dpa)
List of rubrics: © Jens Büttner/dpa