A man has been arrested after an attempted theft of railway copper forced the shutdown of train services in Wellington.
At around 4am on Friday, July 3, police were called to the rail corridor at Takapu Road Station in Tawa after a report about a person trying to get in.
When officers arrived, a heavy signalling cable was damaged, but the alleged offender had already left the scene.
"The severed cable caused signalling faults which required train services to be suspended while emergency repairs were undertaken," police said.
Police said the cost of the damage was around $3000.
A 54-year-old man was arrested following a raid in Porirua yesterday.
He was due to appear in the Porirua District Court on September 2, charged with endangering transport.
Andy Lyon, KiwiRail’s general manager for Wellington Metro, said people who interfered with rail equipment put themselves and others at risk of "serious harm".
“Copper theft from the rail corridor is extremely serious. As well as posing a significant safety risk, this type of offending can cause delays, additional costs, and disruption to the community."
Kāpiti Mana Area Commander Renée Perkins said: “It’s very disappointing that people are causing damage to public transport services and are willing to put other people’s lives at risk.”
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