Amtrak was hit in January by thieves who stole about 300 feet of wire at the intersection of the Northeast Corridor and the Atlantic City Line, delaying seven NJ Transit trains. NJT trains have suffered delays in three separate incidents since the beginning of the year because of metal thefts.
Suspected wire thieves were arrested last week near NJT's Plauderville station in Bergen County after allegedly breaking into a signal box and stealing copper wire.
"These are not victimless crimes," said NJT spokesman John Durso. "They disrupt the lives of our loyal customers and can place their safety at risk."
Camden has been hard-hit by metal thieves, who have stolen wires from more than 200 lampposts, plunging neighborhoods into darkness. Camden City Council this week is considering tougher requirements on scrap-metal dealers to try to deter the resale of stolen metal.
Peco Energy stamps its name on wires and metal equipment to try to discourage thefts, but the only thing that seems to slow the dangerous thievery is a falling copper market.
"The thefts do increase or decrease depending on the price of scrap metal," said Peco spokeswoman Liz Williamson.
SEPTA is spending about $500,000 a year to repair and replace equipment damaged by scavengers, and two or three trains a month are delayed by power interruptions or signal failures caused by cut wires, Knueppel said.
"It's very frustrating," he said. "Our commuters expect to have a nice ride in, and many mornings, the first trains of the day are delayed when they find those areas of stolen cabling.
"We think we're going to be able to provide good service and we can't."
