METAL thieves struck for a third time in less than a week and the second time within a day on the same stretch of railway,
The alarm was raised when the power failed after the copper cable carrying electricity to the signal system and level crossings was cut on a section of the Inverness to Aberdeen line.
A Network Rail spokesman said the power interruption triggered alarms in a signal box. Around 100 metres of the cable needed to be replaced between Huntly and Inverurie yesterday.
It led to disruption of rail services, with buses contracted to take passengers, but the train services were restored yesterday afternoon.
Meanwhile it has emerged that while a mile's length of cable was stolen at the weekend, the quarter of a mile cut in the early hours of Tuesday morning near Kennethmont was left lying. The suspicion is criminals had been disturbed before they could remove it to their getaway vehicles.
The latest incident was reported to British Transport Police (BTP) at 5.55pm on Tuesday.
A BTP spokesman said: "Cable theft in Scotland is an uncommon occurrence, but, when it does happen, it causes huge delays, cancellations and disrupts hundreds of passengers' journeys."
Yesterday Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill said that the Scottish Government plans to toughen up penalties for people dealing in stolen scrap metal.
He said: "Whether it's the danger to life and limb on a railway track, whether it's the theft from war memorials that are deeply distressing – it's entirely unacceptable."
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