> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://barna.news/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Copper thefts disrupt R3 as rail cases rise - URL: https://barna.news/copper-thefts-disrupt-r3-as-rail-cases/ - Published: 2026-09-24T08:13:39.000Z - Updated: 2026-09-24T08:13:39.000Z - Description: Catalonia recorded 229 copper thefts from railway infrastructure by August, exceeding the total for all of 2025 and adding to disruption on the Rodalies R3 commuter line on Wednesday. - Author: Brandon Watea - Tags: transport A [copper theft](https://barna.news/fifth-copper-theft-in-six-days-hits/) disrupted the Rodalies R3 commuter rail line on Wednesday 23 September, the latest incident in a sharp rise in thefts from Catalonia's railway infrastructure. For R3 passengers and other commuters, the thefts can interrupt train communications and services, while the Generalitat has said they also affect public safety and people's ability to travel. *Ara*, citing data from Adif, Spain's state-owned railway infrastructure manager, reports that 229 copper thefts were recorded between January and August. That already exceeds the 184 recorded during the whole of 2025, previously the highest annual total. ## August recorded 45 thefts - Adif recorded 229 thefts from January to August 2026. - There were 45 thefts in August, the highest monthly figure reported so far this year. - More than 200 kilometres of copper have been stolen in Catalonia since 2019, according to the report. Catalonia accounts for one in four copper thefts recorded in Spain since 2018, according to the figures cited by *Ara*. The material is targeted largely for communications cabling rather than the overhead electrical lines that power trains. Estació de França, Barcelona's historic terminus, was hit by six copper thefts in 10 days this month. The incidents caused disruption to Rodalies and regional rail services. --- ## Mossos step up patrols and scrapyard checks The Mossos d'Esquadra, Catalonia's regional police force, have launched a dedicated operation involving plain-clothes investigators, uniformed patrols at high-impact locations and inspections of waste-management businesses. The force arrested 31 people in a month and a half under the operation, *Ara* reports. By August, officers had made 66 arrests during the first seven months of the year. A person detained over a theft at Estació de França was barred from approaching Adif facilities. > "We are very concerned about the increase in thefts, a problem that has worsened significantly in recent years and has a particular impact on certain lines and areas of the Barcelona metropolitan area," Adif said, according to *Ara*. Superintendent Joan Salamaña, who heads the Mossos technical division for public safety and operational planning, told the newspaper that copper is expensive, widely accessible and can be sold through legal waste-management points, where sellers' details are recorded, or through illegal scrapyards. The Spanish Ministry of Transport is seeking tougher penalties through a reform of Article 240 of the Penal Code. The Generalitat spokesperson, Sílvia Paneque, said on Tuesday that the Catalan government was working with Spain's government on stronger sanctions because the thefts affect both safety and mobility. Passengers planning to use the R3 should check Rodalies service updates before travelling, particularly following Wednesday's disruption. --- *Reported by ara.cat, Ara Cat.* --- ### Related on Barna.News - [Catalan Government to Invest €127M in Four Freight Rail Terminals](https://barna.news/catalan-government-to-invest-eu127m-in-four-freight-rail-terminals/) - [Barcelona Launches 40 Mobility Week Events](https://barna.news/barcelona-launches-40-mobility-week/) - [Crowding grows on Rodalies beyond Barcelona](https://barna.news/crowding-grows-on-rodalies-beyond/) - [Public Transport Museum Group Launched by TMB and City Council](https://barna.news/public-transport-museum-group-launched/)