Commuters are experiencing significant delays today on a busy railway line due to the theft of signaling cables. East Midlands Railway has announced that services passing through Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire will be affected for most of the day following the overnight incident.
The train operator has cautioned passengers about delays on routes between Newark Castle and Lincoln on Monday, following the theft near the village of Collingham in Nottinghamshire. East Midlands Railway reported, “A theft of signaling cables near Collingham has disrupted train services between Lincoln and Newark. Passengers are advised to check their journey before traveling.”
Although the railway line remains operational, trains passing through the area in both directions may encounter delays of up to 15 minutes, as noted by NottinghamshireLive. Due to the damage, East Midlands Railway can only operate two trains per hour in each direction through the affected section, leading to potential alterations or cancellations on certain routes.
Further information about the expected disruptions can be found on the East Midlands Railway website. A spokesperson mentioned, “There was an overnight theft of signaling cables at Collingham, affecting our services on various routes. Network Rail is on site addressing the issue, with repair work expected to continue throughout the day.”
As per the latest update on the East Midlands Railway website around 6:30 am, the disruption is anticipated to be resolved by 6 pm later today. Incidents of signaling cable theft on railway lines have been reported before, causing disturbances to train operations, such as in South Yorkshire on New Year’s Eve between Doncaster and Sheffield, affecting multiple train services.
Similarly, in January, a significant disruption occurred following a cable theft at Napsbury, causing signal system faults near St Albans, Hertfordshire. This impacted 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.
