Spain: cable theft that caused rail chaos was ‘act of sabotage’, says minister

Spain’s transport minister has said the country’s rail network suffered “an act of serious sabotage” after vital signalling cable was stolen over the busy bank holiday weekend, bringing severe delays to high-speed services between Madrid and Seville that affected more than 10,000 travellers.

Government sources said the problems on the line between the capital and the southern region of Andalucía had been caused by the theft of copper cable from five different locations in the Toledo area, south of Madrid, late on Sunday.

They said that while the cables that had been targeted had little monetary value – being worth a total of around €300 (£256) – they were essential to the safety of the lines as they allow the system to know where trains are.

“If those safety cables are taken, then the line is blind,” they added. “They’re optimal if you want to put the whole line out of service.”

Read more: The Guardian