Long stretch: Shi (left) and CCC-ECRL Section 13 occupational safety and health officer Mohd Zulhairi Muhd Zaidi inspecting one of the cable theft locations along the ECRL route near Maran. — Bernama
MARAN: Thieves have struck 32 times in the past five months, stealing cables along the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) tracks and causing cumulative losses estimated at RM3mil.
This month alone, they struck nine times.
The incidents have raised concerns about the number of thefts, which could affect the project delivery timeline if they continue unabated.
CCC-ECRL’s director of safety, Shi Liang Hui, said there have been 24 theft cases reported in Pahang, seven in Terengganu and one in Kelantan to date since May.
The first 11 days of this month have shown how brazen thieves can be, with the last two incidents occurring just 24 hours apart near Maran, about 100km from Kuantan.
On Oct 10, thieves cut off a 30m stretch of “contact” wire from the overhead line equipment in broad daylight, requiring a replacement cable nearly a mile long.
The contact wires are made of copper and carry electricity to power the electric trains along the line.
A day later, a signalling cable in a trench was cut but not removed. The replacement will be several hundred metres long, highlighting that theft or vandalism along railway lines is a problem in Malaysia.
In a media briefing at the two sites here yesterday, Shi said the nine cases this month are rather alarming and concerning.
He said the first theft along the ECRL line was reported in May.
There were six cases reported in May, seven in June, one in August, and nine in September.
On Sept 26, police arrested two men, including a Cambodian, for alleged cable theft in a raid at a shed in a rubber plantation at Temerloh Industrial Park in Mentakab.
Temerloh OCPD Asst Comm Mohd Nasyim Bahron said the suspects, aged 28 and 30, also tested positive for methamphetamine.
Police also found equipment used to cut the cables, including a grinder.
Both suspects tried to flee the scene during the raid but were quickly apprehended.
ACP Mohd Nasyim said the two suspects, together with two others still at large, were believed to have been involved in several other similar ECRL cable thefts.
Shi said the ECRL contractor will bear the losses for now. However, when the trains are in operation, the joint venture companies operating the services will equally share the cost of replacing the stolen cables.
Following the incidents, CCC-ECRL has hired security companies to guard and patrol the track, including installing dozens of CCTVs at several “hot” locations.
The ECRL contractor is also working closely with the police in Kelantan, Terengganu and Pahang to prevent such thefts. They have also appealed to the public to report any suspicious activities along the rail alignment, which passes through many forested areas with numerous access points, despite the installation of basic fencing.
