Suspected cable theft delays Hutt Valley trains

KiwiRail says a suspected copper cable theft has caused a signalling outage and delays to multiple Hutt Valley Line trains.

Metlink's website showed Hutt Valley Line evening services replaced with buses due to "emergency maintenance".

The disruption comes after a wave of copper theft across the country, with an attempted cable theft stopping Wellington trains just a few days ago.

KiwiRail's general manager Wellington Metro Andy Lyon told RNZ they would be working closely with police on the incident.

"Copper theft is a nationwide issue affecting critical infrastructure providers across the transport, electricity and telecommunications sectors.

"For KiwiRail, the impacts can be significant. Copper cabling is used in a range of rail systems, including signalling and other safety-critical infrastructure."

He said damaged or stolen cables can result in disruptions for both passengers and freight.

"Anyone interfering with live railway cabling is also putting themselves at risk of serious harm."