Train passengers in South Yorkshire are facing disruption on New Year’s Eve after the theft of signalling cables, Network Rail has said.
The rail body said services between Sheffield and Doncaster would be affected all day after the theft in Conisbrough.
All three networks running between the two cities – CrossCountry, Northern and TransPennine Express – are experiencing delays and cancellations.
Northern and TransPennine services are likely to be delayed by up to 30 minutes between Doncaster and Sheffield, with CrossCountry trains facing delays of up to 15 minutes.
Network Rail said it had staff on site. The incident is expected to be investigated by British Transport Police.
The theft of signalling equipment leads to fewer and slower services as trains must be guided along the network by a signaller. Network Rail said cable thefts cost the public millions of pounds each year and the knock-on effect to the economy was even greater.
It said the number of incidents had risen sharply in recent years – likely due to the rising value of raw materials such as copper, which has made the theft of signalling cables a lucrative haul for criminals.
In 2025 there have been more than 102 incidents of live cables being stolen across the railway, causing 104,737 minutes of train delays and costing £5.1m. These included the theft of copper cables on the Eurostar line between London and Paris in June, disrupting thousands of passengers.
There were 108 incidents of cable theft across Britain in 2024, causing 69,275 minutes of train delays and costing £3.3m. That represented a 48% jump from 2023, when 73 incidents of cable theft caused 46,464 minutes of train delays and cost £3.7m, Network Rail said.
