STOP THIEF! TRATOS THEFT PREVENTION MEASURES FOR RAILWAY CABLE Print

railway cables tratos theft

Cable manufacturer and supplier Tratos Ltd. has been working with rail companies to reduce the incidences of cable theft from railways and now has a range of solutions aimed at both deterring thieves and helping police identify stolen cable.

Thieves stealing or damaging railway cables cost Network Rail £3.5m compensation for train operators in the North East and Yorkshire alone in the financial year 2008/9 - up by £1.7m on the previous year.  And the cost is not the only problem, as theft or damage to cables delays trains and their passengers and cargo.  Rail companies are increasing security and are working closely with British Transport Police, but Tratos believes cable manufacturers also have their part to play.

Tratos now provides a range of options to make cable theft less profitable for the thief and traceability of the stolen cable easier for the police, with the added bonus of deterring metal merchants from receiving what are effectively stolen goods.

The first option is to limit the cost of the cable, making it a less attractive proposition for the would-be thief.  This can be achieved using aluminium rather than copper as a conductor, as aluminium has less scrap value (stealing 1000 metres of cable is about 75% less profitable!).  Alternatively, aluminium clad steel conductors – very difficult to separate for scrap and hence very low value - can be used, sheathed or unsheathed for overhead use.  

The second option from Tratos is to improve the traceability of Stolen Conductor through marking.  Tratos offers a range of marking services, from printing or embossing the sheath with “Property of ...client name...” and even an Action Line number if required and can emboss both copper and aluminium conductors on strand sizes above 2mm diameter.  

For even greater security, Tratos can incorporate an identity thread or strand registered to a specific manufacturer.  The thread option involves Tratos placing the thread amongst the copper or aluminium strands.  The strand option allows for a 2mm or larger strand to be placed in smaller sized cables and make the rest up to the required resistance/conductor size with smaller wires.  With both options, even if the cable was burned or stripped down to the metal, identification would still be possible.

The ultimate in theft deterrent though has to be alarmed cable.  Tratos can manufacture cable with a single fibre run amongst the copper conductor which would activate an alarm when cut and even, by use of an OTDR, identify the location of the cut . This would help the police with response time to the location and also help to make a repair to the length to lessen the downtime.  A similar result could be obtained with a copper pair built into the cable.

But it’s not all about the product.  Tratos works closely with contractors to ensure that cable drums arrive at set times to coincide with installation, and stock is available for call off, not in compounds.  It should also be noted that the cable is ordered in the right quantities so that surplus is not left lying around.
More information www.tratoscavi.com