For twelve days, subway guests on the U6 line had more sardines in a can than Berliners on the way to work or after work. Instead of every four minutes, as was usual at peak times, the trains only left every ten minutes, sometimes it was closer to twelve or 15 minutes.
The reason? Someone had stolen a cable. “After a case in the area around Rehberge station, the BVG has to temporarily reduce the frequency of the line,” said the Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG) statement. This is necessary to prevent the power supply from being overloaded. According to the BVG, the repairs have been completed since Wednesday and the trains should run at their usual frequency again.
So everything is good? Probably just until the next incident. In times of high prices for non-ferrous metal, cable theft is an increasing phenomenon. “This year, the BVG has already registered more than 60 cases of cable theft in its facilities,” said a spokesman when asked by Stern. The material damage amounts to more than 900,000 euros. However, passengers are “of course” particularly affected by train cancellations, often for days or weeks. Because the thefts sometimes cause significant damage, repairs can take a long time.
With the measures taken so far, such as more night vision devices, the transport company does not seem to be able to combat the thefts. So a new register is now being drawn up, with a job advertisement the BVG is looking for an “expert in the prevention of underground cable theft (f/m/d)” who should finally make a breakthrough.
The tasks: the “continuous improvement of the processes and technical solutions for the prevention of cable theft”, the “coordination and implementation of all measures to select suitable systems” and the implementation of “market observations, technical analyzes and feasibility studies”.
Even if a salary of 4,469.31 to 4,929.41 euros plus Christmas bonus and “300 euros per year for our health portal” may attract some people – we are looking for a person with a degree or experience in the field of electrical or energy engineering. We are particularly pleased about “professional experience in the area of cable systems”.
The job advertisement has been available on the “Stepstone” job platform for four days. Have there already been applications? The BVG is not providing any information on this for the time being.
