Thousands of passengers stranded in Spain after thefts stop trains 

The cable theft sparked mayhem on the Spanish railways after a holiday weekend (Picture: Reuters)

Cable theft forced trains to stop in central Spain, upending the Monday commute for thousands of passengers.

Thieves wreaked havoc on the high-speed line between Madrid and Seville after stealing vital cable from the signalling system across four locations.

The theft happened late yesterday evening, affecting dozens of trains between Spain’s capital and Andalucia during peak return travel after the Labour Day weekend.

Thousands of passengers were eagerly waiting for updates after spending hours on the station floors and trying to get information from rail staff.

Passengers said they were frustrated over lack of information during the stoppage (Picture: Manu Fernandez/AP)

Footage shows frustrated passengers gathering at Madrid’s Atochat station today to try find out what was happening with their trains.

Renfe, the train operator, told passengers to not arrive too early to avoid further crowds.

One passenger posted on X that his train was scheduled to leave Sevilla shortly before 9pm yesterday.

Instead, the train arrived to Madrid at 6.3am today. He claimed they spent ’10 hours on a train that ran out of food and water after half an hour.’

People had no choice but to wait at stations after the theft forced trains to stop across central Spain (Picture: EPA)

A typical train journey takes between the cities usually takes just under three hours.

Alberto Valero, a tourist from Mexico, told the AP news agency him and his family had spent hours at Madrid station due to the issue.

He said: ‘We’re here with tourists from everywhere — France, Portugal.

‘Everyone is at a loss for what to do because of the total disarray.

ADIF, the company owning Spain’s railway infrastructure, said on X the theft happened at four points on the line in Toledo.

It hoped services to resume from around 9.30am between Madrid, Seville, Malaga and Granada.

Today’s train chaos comes after life in Spain and Portugal was severely disrupted last week after massive power outages lasting for days.

At least five people were killed in the unprecedented blackout, which turned Madrid dark as the Spanis grid lost 60% of its power, with national emergency declared.

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