2023-09-06 04:42:00
Since the beginning of 2023, Infrabel has been the victim of 85 cable thefts, which represents a clear decrease compared to last year, indicates the Federal Minister for Mobility Georges Gilkinet.
In 2022, the rail network manager recorded 466 cable thefts. These had generated 33,169 minutes of delay, or more than 1h30 each day. In addition to the impact on punctuality, cable thefts represent a significant financial cost for the railway company with nearly 7 million euros in 2022.
Since the start of 2023, 11,202 minutes of delays have been recorded on the rail network, with 1,887 trains impacted. According to the figures communicated by Infrabel in previous years, the minutes lost amounted to 4,121 in 2021, 3,633 in 2020, 15,358 in 2019 and 51,675 in 2018.
“These cable thefts are one of the major causes of the delays experienced by SNCB trains. This is why I welcome these encouraging results. But we must remain very vigilant and continue to develop all the measures that will allow to improve these figures and also to implement other actions and investments that will allow us to improve the reliability of our rail service”, comments the Minister in a press release.
To combat the phenomenon, Infrabel is working in cooperation with the Railway Police (SPC) to carry out night-time control operations. In addition to traditional patrols, targeted control operations are also carried out throughout the year in the field. In order to further protect its cables (already buried under rubble), Infrabel installed GPS trackers this year, making it possible to transmit the location of the cables in real time and therefore to quickly apprehend suspects. Alternatives to copper are also being sought.
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