Stolen copper, stalled trains: Malaysia’s costly cable theft crisis

KUALA LUMPUR, March 5 —When trains on the MRT Putrajaya Line ground to a halt near Damansara Damai this week due to suspected cable theft, many commuters asked the same question: how can one stolen cable stop an entire rail line?

The short answer is modern rail systems are designed to stop first for safety reasons.

But Malaysia is not alone in facing this costly and frustrating problem — the disruption in Klang Valley is part of a much wider global pattern.

Here’s what you need to know.

Is this just a Malaysian problem?

No. Cable theft is a long-standing global issue affecting developed and developing countries alike.

In Australia, copper theft left parts of Perth in darkness last year, according to Australia’s national broadcaster Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

In the United Kingdom, Network Rail has repeatedly warned that cable theft causes widespread train delays each year, with the London Underground also targeted.

The UK government previously banned cash payments for scrap metal to make it harder to profit from stolen copper, but despite the stricter rules, theft remains a recurring problem.

South Africa is considered one of the worst-hit countries. 

In 2023, estimated losses from cable theft there ranged between US$280 million (RM1.10 billion) and US$370 million.

India’s railway network reportedly lost almost US$33 million in 2018 due to cable theft. 

Annual losses in India are estimated in the billions.

The United States and Brazil also report hundreds of millions or even billions in annual losses due to stolen cables.

The common thread across all these countries?

Copper prices.

Why do our trains stop so easily?

Modern rail networks — including Malaysia’s MRT, LRT and KTM systems — operate on what engineers call a “fail-safe” principle.

This means that if something goes wrong, the system automatically shuts down to prevent accidents.

When a signalling cable is cut, the train can no longer “talk” to the Operations Control Centre. 

For driverless systems such as the MRT and Kelana Jaya LRT, communication with the Operations Control Centre is critical.

If a signalling cable is cut, the fail-safe system automatically brings trains to a stop to prevent accidents — the same principle that applied during the 2021 Kelana Jaya LRT collision, when a loss of communication triggered an automatic halt between KLCC and Kampung Baru stations.

Transport Minister Anthony Loke has explained that this immediate stop is standard safety protocol whenever signalling is disrupted, sometimes reducing speeds from 140 km/h to just 25 km/h.

Britain’s railway system follows the same principle. 

When cables are cut there, trains stop automatically to prevent catastrophic accidents.

How much is this costing Malaysia?

Prasarana Malaysia Berhad has reported losses of RM20.6 million due to cable theft since 2023. 

The company also said such incidents surged by 68 per cent in 2025 alone.

At Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB), cable theft caused 1,300 hours of cumulative delays in 2025.

From early 2024 to March 2025, KTMB’s northern sector alone suffered RM1.44 million in losses.

Malaysia Rail Link has also raised concerns that repeated cable theft could disrupt the timeline of the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL), a critical national infrastructure project scheduled for completion in 2026.

Beyond rail, telecommunications towers and power utilities are also targeted. 

Deputy Communications Minister Teo Nie Ching said regulators and police are now working with scrap yards and businesses to prevent stolen copper from entering the resale market.

Loke has called for harsher penalties, arguing that current fines — sometimes as low as RM1,000 or RM2,000 — do not reflect the seriousness of the crime.

He described cable theft as a sabotage against public order.

Why copper demand is surging

While gold prices will remain more lucrative than copper, the latter is everywhere and has easy access.

It runs through power lines, railway signals, telecom towers, lamps, televisions and even kitchen appliances.

But global demand has surged sharply in recent years due to rising sectors.

Among major forces that are driving prices higher:

1. Data centres and artificial intelligence

The global race to build massive data centres to support artificial intelligence requires huge amounts of copper for cooling systems and power distribution.

Investment banks such as Goldman Sachs have flagged AI infrastructure as a key driver of copper demand.

2. Electric vehicles (EVs)

Electric vehicles use significantly more copper than petrol cars, in batteries, motors and charging infrastructure.

3. Green energy transition

Wind turbines, solar panels and renewable energy grids require large volumes of copper.

At the same time, supply has struggled to keep up.

Mining disruptions in major producing countries such as Chile and Indonesia, labour strikes and lower-grade ore mean producers must dig deeper and process more material to extract the same amount of copper.

The result is a tightening global market.

KTM auxiliary police have estimated that 200 metres of stolen cable can fetch between RM5,000 and RM10,000.

In one widely shared incident last year, a man was found trapped under an MRT concrete overpass in Taman Tun Dr Ismail — believed to have been trying to steal cables — before being rescued by a team of 12 firefighters and later handed over to police for investigation.

Many offenders are believed to be drug addicts seeking fast money, though organised syndicates are also involved.

Beyond the human cost, repeated cable theft highlights the vulnerability of Malaysia’s critical infrastructure, from railways to power and telecommunications networks, and imposes substantial financial and operational burdens on the public.

Authorities are now pushing for stricter penalties and closer monitoring of scrap metal markets to curb theft, underlining that tackling cable theft is not just about crime prevention, but also protecting national security and ensuring the reliability of essential services.