As of: February 12, 2024, 3:26 p.m
Comments
Press
Split
A sign reading “Police” hangs on a police headquarters.
© Roland Weihrauch/dpa/Symbolbild
They steal gutters and fences, and they don't even stop at grave crosses - but metal thieves pose particular problems for the railway.
Now they shut down the route from Frankfurt to Stuttgart.
Stuttgart - They came again at night and they chose the same section of route: Metal thieves have once again stolen cables between Mannheim and Lampertheim in southern Hesse, thus paralyzing the important connection from Frankfurt to Stuttgart for many hours.
Shortly before Christmas, thieves had already gone on the prowl there, cutting several kilometers of copper cable in a cable shaft and stealing hundreds of meters of cable that was important for the DB's control and security technology - with consequences on the tracks that lasted for days.
A number of long-distance trains were canceled again on Monday, as Deutsche Bahn announced.
According to the information, all ICE trains between Frankfurt and Stuttgart and individual ICE trains between Frankfurt - Stuttgart - Munich were affected.
Trains were delayed on the Frankfurt - Mannheim route.
The problem is not expected to be resolved until the evening.
The railway gave further details.
And the cases are anything but isolated: metal thieves also attacked the railway last year and struck a total of 450 times.
According to Deutsche Bahn, this was a slight increase compared to the previous year.
In a long-term comparison, the number of cases has fallen sharply by around 90 percent, said a railway spokesman for the German Press Agency.
In 2013 there were 3,200 cases.
The railway has changed a lot.
“Wherever possible, alternative materials are used, existing systems and construction sites are technically protected and better guarded,” said the spokesman.
The railway also works closely with the federal police.
Metal thieves are regularly caught in the act.
However, comprehensive and seamless monitoring of the approximately 34,000 kilometer long route network cannot be implemented.
The spokesman emphasized that the thefts do not pose any danger to travelers.
The “Fail Safe” system ensures that trains come to a standstill.
“Fail-safe” means that the system can be brought to a stable, safe state, for example a stop.
The railway warned of the consequential damage caused by metal theft.
“If the control and security technology is disrupted, if trains are canceled or arrive late at their destination, if construction sites are affected by theft, completion will be delayed,” said the railway spokesman for the dpa.
Last year, the theft of non-ferrous metal caused material damage of around 7 million euros nationwide.
The copper price is currently around 7,500 euros per ton.
Thieves often have an easy time of it; their prey is difficult to identify.
According to the Association of German Criminal Investigators, there are spontaneous individual perpetrators who sell the loot in small quantities to scrap dealers they know.
Scrap yards currently pay five euros per kilo, which corresponds to 5,000 euros per ton, said federal chairman Dirk Peglow to the dpa.
The railway and police are expanding their security partnerships with scrap dealers, but there are also gaps.
A second group of perpetrators are well-organized gangs.
However, there has been little investigative information so far, said Peglow.
The gangs have “appropriate logistics when it comes to larger quantities”.
Eastern Europe in particular could be a potential sales market.
dpa