Commuters are experiencing significant delays today along a busy railway route due to the theft of signalling cables. East Midlands Railway has announced that services passing through Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire will be affected for most of the day following the overnight theft incident.
The train operator has cautioned travelers about delays on routes between Newark Castle and Lincoln on Monday, following the theft near Collingham in Nottinghamshire. East Midlands Railway stated, “A signalling cable theft near Collingham has disrupted train services between Lincoln and Newark. Passengers are advised to check their journey details before setting out.”
Although the railway line remains operational, trains are running in both directions through the affected area with potential delays of up to 15 minutes for services passing through, as reported by NottinghamshireLive.
Due to the damage caused by the theft, East Midlands Railway is operating only two trains per hour in each direction in the affected area. Consequently, some trains on these routes may be altered or canceled, with morning cancellations already announced at 6.30 am.
Further information on the anticipated disruptions can be found on the East Midlands Railway website. A spokesperson mentioned, “Signalling cables were stolen overnight at Collingham, disrupting train services on various routes including Newark North Gate/Lincoln, Matlock/Derby/Nottingham/Cleethorpes, and Crewe/Derby/Nottingham/Lincoln. Network Rail is currently on-site addressing the issue, and due to the extent of cable replacement required, work is expected to continue for most of the day.”
As per the latest update on the East Midlands Railway website around 6.30 am, the disruptions are anticipated to be resolved by 6 pm today.
Theft of signalling cables on railway networks is not uncommon, with similar incidents causing disruptions to train services in South Yorkshire on New Year’s Eve. Instances at Conisbrough between Doncaster and Sheffield impacted CrossCountry, Northern, and TransPennine Express services between the two stations. In January, significant disruption occurred after a cable theft at Napsbury, leading to a signalling system fault near St Albans, Hertfordshire. This disruption affected East Midlands Railway services between Sheffield, Nottingham, Corby, and London St Pancras, as well as Thameslink services between Bedford and East Croydon, and Luton and Rainham in Kent.