THE Spanish government have outlined plans to introduce harsher sentences for thieves who steal railway cables after a wave of sabotage sparked travel chaos across Spain’s train network.
The move comes after thousands of passengers were impacted by delays and service disruptions after four separate cable thefts were recorded on Spain’s southern high-speed rail corridor in just one week, described by transport minister Oscar Puente as ‘totally unacceptable’.
In an effort to push back against the alarming uptick in incidents, the government will toughen the penalties for the theft of cables and other railway infrastructure components via reform of the Penal Code.
According to sources cited by Diario Sur, the aim is to ‘align penalties with the seriousness of these offences’ and strengthen the protection of ‘critical infrastructure’.
The proposal would introduce an additional category of theft by force, when the theft of railway components disrupts train services.
That crime would carry a prison sentence of between two and six years.
“The criminal response must take into account not only the value of the stolen material, but also the serious consequences these thefts have on an essential public service,” the ministry said.
The wave of thefts comes as Spain’s high-speed rail network continues to suffer after an incident-packed first half of the year.
The impact of the deadly Adamuz train disaster in January and repair works to the Madrid-Malaga line has contributed to a significant drop in passenger numbers.
In May, AVE, Ouigo, Iryo and Avlo recorded a 7.1 per cent year-on-year drop in passengers numbers compared to May 2025 – the fifth consecutive monthly decline since January.
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