Continued stealing of train cables, has led Addis Ababa City, the capital of Ethiopia, to partially interrupt its transportation service.
As of yesterday (Monday) Addis is forced to interrupt its light electric train transportation service between St. George Church to Meshaualekia area, according to according to the report of the state news agency Ethiopian News Agency (ENA). In the past six months train cable worth 1.6 million birr is stolen (close to $50,000 at the current exchange rate).
As a result of the continued theft train cables including signal communication equipment, the Ethiopian Railway Corporation is unable to deploy all its train to provide service to the inhabitants of Addis Ababa. But the report didn’t mention about who has been committing the crime and / or if suspects are arrested.
The Corporation is currently working to recommence the interrupted train service, according to the report, which indicated that the Corporation is currently loosing 100,000 birr (about $3,100) every day because of the service interruption.
Several police reports show that organized electric cables and electric transformer theft has been growing in Ethiopia over the past few year.