Copper cables attached to rail joints on two JR lines in Yamaguchi Prefecture were cut and taken away, and on the 16th, cables were cut off at about 60 locations within the premises of another Ube Line station. It was found disconnected. As of now, more than 200 locations have been cut, and police are investigating the possibility of theft.
At JR in Yamaguchi Prefecture, copper cables called "Rail Bonds" attached to rail joints had been cut and taken away at approximately 110 locations on the Ube Line and 50 locations on the Sanyo Main Line by the 15th. When converted into numbers, the damage exceeds 300.
JR West is carrying out inspections of the cables one by one, but around 2:40 a.m. on the 16th, 130 "rail bonds" were severed and missing at about 60 locations within the premises of Ino Station on the Ube Line. It has been confirmed that there is.
As a result of this, service on the Ube Line and Onoda Line was suspended for approximately four hours from the start of the train.
According to JR, there were no abnormalities found when the cables inside Ino Station were inspected on the 8th of this month.
As a result, approximately 220 locations have been cut, and the police are investigating the incident on suspicion of theft after receiving a report from JR.
At Ino Station, where the cable was found cut,
Around Ino Station, where the cable was found to have been cut, JR workers were busy with restoration work and track inspections from early in the morning.
According to neighbors, many of the station's users are young people who attend nearby private high schools.
After hearing the announcement that driving would be suspended, some people switched to other means of commuting, such as buses.
A man in his 50s who runs a house cleaning business near Ino Station said, ``I had heard about the incident from the news, but I was shocked to see it happen at a nearby station.Many students use the station for commuting to school, etc. I think this is a real problem and I hope it will be resolved soon."