Overview
- Train service between Zwolle and Lelystad was halted on Monday after an attempted theft left about seven track cables cut, with service resuming once repairs and testing were completed.
- ProRail says the recent incidents involve heavy copper wiring on or beside the tracks used for signalling, not the overhead power lines.
- Police apprehended suspects in recent cases, and ProRail credits targeted monitoring and data on prior theft hotspots for enabling a swift arrest at the scene on Sunday night.
- The infrastructure manager records roughly 100 to 200 copper thefts annually that cost millions of euros, even when no metal is taken, because damaged systems must be replaced and retested.
- Experts link persistent theft pressure to relatively high copper prices tied to electrification, with scrap dealers citing roughly €7–€8.50 per kilo and similar thefts hitting solar and lightning-conductor cables.