More chaos in Rodalies: copper thefts skyrocket

BarcelonaThe fact that there are more or fewer copper thefts in Catalonia depends on a building located in the City of London. The London Metal Exchange marks the global evolution of the price of copper and, if things are on the decline in England, in Catalonia everything points to a few quiet months. However, bearing in mind that the price of copper has increased by approximately 20% since the beginning of the year and 70% since the beginning of 2025, this increase has also translated into a rise in thefts in the country, which in some cases have produced serious disruptions to the Rodalies network, the latest this Wednesday on the R3.

Superintendent Joan Salamaña, head of the Technical Division for Citizen Security and Device Planning of the Mossos d'Esquadra, points out that copper has all the ingredients to be an easy target for thieves: "It is expensive, it is within your reach and it can be sold legally". The reason it is expensive is mainly because more and more of it is needed for the expansion of new technologies and car electrification processes. Being within reach means that it is everywhere, on railway lines, but also on the electrical network, in inhabited and abandoned flats, in warehouses and industries. In the case of trains, they usually look for communication cables, not the ones from the overhead line. Furthermore, the material can be sold legally at a waste management point – where they collect your data – and at illegal scrap yards. Despite the risks involved, thieves usually opt for the legal route because they want to sell it quickly. In addition, they sometimes resort to front men.

Data on copper thefts reported by Adif – which refer to train lines, especially communication cables, but also other facilities of the public company – demonstrate this sustained increase in thefts. From January to August, 229 thefts have been registered, already exceeding the 184 for the whole of 2025, which precisely was already the year with the most thefts. And the month with the most thefts? August, with 45, although it seems that September, which has not yet closed, will surpass it. Since 2019, more than 200 kilometers of copper have been stolen and Catalonia is the most affected territory, accounting for one in four thefts in the State since 2018.

For example, this month the Estació de França suffered a wave of six copper thefts in just ten days, an episode that caused major disruptions to the Rodalies and Regional service. After a few months in which this increase has been detected, the Mossos have launched a specific plan to tackle it that is already yielding results, such as the arrest of 31 people in a month and a half. To provide context, up to August there had been 66; that is to say, in six weeks, half as many people have been arrested as in seven months. It has also been achieved that some detainees – such as the perpetrator of the theft at the Estació de França – receive a restraining order from any Adif facility.

Two strategies

According to Superintendent Salamaña, the plan is based on two major areas: one consisting of plainclothes officers, investigators who focus on the perpetrators of the thefts, on building specific reports for copper thefts, and on analyzing the groups dedicated to them. The other area is uniformed, consisting of officers who patrol those places where a copper theft can cause a greater impact on mobility, who also prepare reports so that fences, cameras, or private security can be installed in certain spots. Inspections are also carried out at companies dedicated to waste management.

However, preventing thefts of this type remains complicated because there are kilometers and kilometers of train tracks in the country, without forgetting those that are no longer in operation and are even more accessible. Adif admits they are "very worried about the increase in thefts, a problem that has worsened significantly in recent years and has a special incidence in certain lines and areas of the Barcelona metropolitan area".

Salamaña explains that there are different profiles of thieves. Some have conditions of vulnerability and act alone according to the opportunity in front of them, without much planning. But there are also groups, of four or five people, who collaborate occasionally. These do have a van and specific tools, and they choose those places where they believe they will be able to steal more cable. On the other hand, although it is not ruled out that they exist, they do not notice the presence of large criminal groups as much.

Change in the Penal Code

One of the problems in the fight against this phenomenon is that copper theft, if it does not involve entering a private space, is considered simply a theft, which can have an aggravating factor if it affects facilities intended to provide essential services and if the action causes serious damage. However, the Ministry of Transport considers that these sentences should be toughened by reforming article 240 of the Penal Code. This is also defended by the Generalitat de Catalunya: the executive's spokesperson, Sílvia Paneque, stated this Tuesday that they are working with the Spanish government to toughen the penalties, taking into account that it is not only a property theft, but also affects the safety of people and the right to mobility.