Transport for Wales (TfW) and the British Transport Police are warning of the dangers of trespassing on railway lines as the first Overhead Line Equipment (OLE) for the South Wales Metro goes live.
Live OLE on the South Wales Metro carries 25,000 volts, one hundred times the standard household electricity voltage.
If a person comes into contact with OLE, the heat generated can reach temperatures of more than three thousand degrees Celsius. Contact with OLE is fatal nine times out of ten.
In 2022 there were more than a thousand recorded incidents of trespass on the Core Valleys Lines alone. Although TfW had begun installing the equipment, OLE was not yet live at the time – if it had been, these incidents could have been fatal.
Transport for Wales has improved security, including by adding fencing and extending safety barriers on bridges.
However, several incidents of cable theft and damage in recent months have caused serious damage to equipment as well as disrupting train services.
In February, an empty train struck cables near Llandaff station that had been damaged in the course of an attempted theft, which resulted in train services into Cardiff being delayed or cancelled for several hours.
Trespassers on the rail network can be prosecuted and may be fined up to £1,000. The British Transport Police is asking members of the public to report suspicious behaviour on the tracks, by calling 0800 40 50 40, texting 61016, in an emergency calling 999, or calling Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Lois Park, TfW's Head of Community and Stakeholder Engagement, said: “The first section of electrified OLE is another significant milestone for the South Wales Metro project, but it brings significant risks for those who choose to trespass on the network.
“The OLE system has been designed to keep people safe and as long as everyone respects the railway boundary and does not trespass onto the railway, they will be as safe. But for those who may have gotten away with trespassing on the lines in the past, the risk of serious injury and death is now significantly higher.
“Within the next two years the whole of the Core Valleys Lines will be electrified to allow TfW to run our brand-new trains, so we are committed to working with communities to make everyone aware of the danger.
“People should stay at least 2.75m away from the OLE at all times as you don't have to touch it directly to be electrocuted, and take extra care when carrying objects such as umbrellas, helium balloons and fishing rods.”
BTP Wales and Borders Superintendent, Andrew Morgan, said: “Trespassing on the rail network is something we take extremely seriously. Not only is it illegal, but the railway is full of hidden dangers that can result in serious and life-ending consequences. It is also one of the biggest causes of train services being delayed across the network, with just over 200 hours of delays caused in Wales alone last year – purely because of trespass incidents. We continuously work with train operators, partners and local communities to raise the awareness of these dangers and we always take action against those who trespass whenever we can.”
There will always be some idiots who want to put themselves in danger by stealing cable to sell, maybe to get drugs.
I still believe that electrification to Swansea could still happen or proposed and to allow Class 800, Class 802 and Class 756 to run fully electric between Cardiff Central and Swansea once it’s completed.