Theft of signalling cables causes major train disruption in Conisbrough, South Yorkshire
On 31 December 2025, the theft of signalling cables in Conisbrough, South Yorkshire, led to severe disruption of train services between Sheffield and Doncaster. The incident affected operators CrossCountry, Northern, and TransPennine Express, resulting in delays and cancellations across these networks.
Northern and TransPennine Express experienced delays of up to 30 minutes, while CrossCountry reported delays of up to 15 minutes on the Doncaster–Sheffield corridor. Network Rail personnel were deployed to the site, and the British Transport Police began investigating the theft.
The loss of signalling cables reduced rail capacity since trains had to be manually guided by a signaller, lowering overall service levels. Cable theft is a growing problem, linked to rising copper prices, impacting rail operations and the economy significantly.
During 2025, there have been over 102 live-cable theft incidents, causing approximately 104,737 minutes of delays and £5.1 million in costs. This trend has been increasing compared to 2024, which saw 108 incidents resulting in 69,275 minutes of delays and £3.3 million in costs, and 2023, which had 73 incidents with 46,464 minutes of delays and £3.7 million in costs.
