Police called in after wire tampering cripples Brisbane train line

Theft and vandalism of Queensland Rail cables has knocked out passenger train services twice in two days.

The drama started late on Thursday night when QR detected a signalling issue on the Shorncliffe-Cleveland line, requiring buses to be organised to cover the Friday morning peak.

While full rail services resumed on Friday, another signalling issue was discovered at 2.52am on Saturday on the same line. That disrupted services until Saturday night, with the replacement buses coming with a delay of up to an hour.

Queensland Police are investigating theft and vandalism on a major Brisbane train line.Credit: Queensland Police Service

It is believed vandalism and the theft of copper cabling were responsible, the latest in a series of incidents affecting QR assets.

In a statement, the Queensland Police Service described the incidents as “wilful damage” as they called for public help in tracking down the offenders.

“Initial investigations indicate a quantity of copper cable was removed between Park Road and Buranda rail stations, causing significant damage to the rail line and impacts to train services,” the statement said.

“Investigators are asking anyone who may have been in the vicinity of Ipswich Road, Cornwall Street, Kent Street or O’Keefe Street, Woolloongabba, on Saturday, November 30, between 1am and 4am, to please come forward.

“This includes anyone with dashcam vision of the area, or with information that may assist with the investigation.”

Earlier this year, a parliamentary inquiry into scrap metal theft recommended police have a dedicated tracking system that could alert the scrap metal industry to suspected stolen goods.

There would also be a new criminal offence for thieves “recklessly engaging in conduct that places or may place another person in danger of injury or death due to exposure to live electricity infrastructure”.

The inquiry heard previous thefts on rail sites in Brisbane led to services being cancelled and ongoing problems with boom gates and signalling.

Police told the inquiry thieves were targeting metal on rail tracks, in traffic signals and on related construction sites.

A government submission stated that “over the past two years there has been a notable increase in vandalism and thefts affecting Department of Transport and Main Roads assets, in particular our intelligent roadside systems and our road-lighting assets”.

The former Miles Labor government accepted the recommendations in May, agreeing to implement them in full.

That work has now been inherited by the Crisafulli LNP government.

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