Arrests after major cable theft
Agents from the Mossos d'Esquadra, Catalonia's regional police, detained two men aged 20 and 25 on Saturday after a substantial theft of copper cable from the conventional Lleida-Tarragona railway line. The incident occurred at kilometre 22.8 within the municipality of Juneda. The alert was raised at 02:50 when railway security personnel detected the theft and found approximately 300 metres of cable missing. While inspecting the area, they discovered a vehicle stuck in a nearby field, with two occupants fleeing on foot. Inside the car, officers found a pair of cable cutters and stolen railway signalling cable.
Manhunt and arrests
Following descriptions from security staff, Mossos launched a search operation and shortly afterwards stopped a vehicle in Juneda carrying four people. The two men in the rear seats matched the suspects' description and were covered in dirt and mud, consistent with having run across farmland. One was directly linked to the abandoned vehicle, leading to both being arrested on suspicion of theft. The two women in the car, aged 44 and 58, remain under investigation for possible involvement in aiding the suspects.
Severe rail infrastructure damage
A railway infrastructure official later confirmed that a total of 485 metres of cable had been severed, affecting critical signalling systems. The damage caused significant disruption to train operations, impacting safety mechanisms and regular service on the line. The two detained men were presented the following day before the on-duty investigating judge at Lleida’s court.
Pla Via targets rail metal theft
The arrests occurred under the framework of Pla Via, a joint initiative by the Mossos d'Esquadra and Adif, Spain’s railway infrastructure manager, aimed at combating metal theft on rail networks. Since its launch in August 2026, the plan has led to 36 detentions across Catalonia, with six individuals formally investigated and three issued judicial orders barring them from approaching railway infrastructure. According to Adif, copper theft is the leading cause of rail service disruptions on Rodalies lines. In September alone, 35 such thefts caused 15,000 minutes of delays, affecting thousands of commuters. Under Pla Via, Mossos units work in coordination with private railway security teams, focusing on high-risk 'critical points' where thefts can disrupt multiple lines. The force has completed six risk assessments of such locations and is evaluating ten more.
The Pla Via represents a coordinated, sustained effort to tackle this persistent threat to rail safety and service reliability, in close cooperation with infrastructure operators like Adif.
The initiative also includes outreach to 120 waste management and scrap metal companies to monitor the flow of stolen materials, as reported in a recent joint meeting between Mossos and Adif.
Reported by lamanyana.cat, lavanguardia.com, elperiodico.com, Archivo. Segre, diaricatalunya.cat, elcaso.elnacional.cat, adif.es, Europa Press, La Ciutat.
