Copper wire thefts remain a persistent and costly problem in King County, with transit riders feeling the impact as service interruptions mount across the region.
Sound Transit has ramped up enforcement efforts in response to a several thefts that have caused major disruptions so far this year.
One of the incidents — light rail service between Angle Lake and Star Lake was disrupted — on the same day as the Seattle Seahawks Super Bowl parade, one of the busiest travel days.
According to Sound Transit public information officer Henry Bendon, crews discovered damage during a routine early morning inspection.
“At four in the morning, when we did our track inspection, we found that there was some damage related to theft,” Bendon said. “We deployed people immediately, and this is something that we do every time.”
Sound Transit says it is taking aggressive steps to prevent future thefts and reduce the impact when they occur.
“We’re adding police; we’re adding more physical infrastructure; we’re increasing our patrols. We’re changing the way we do our training, and we’re changing the way we do our repairs to recover faster in the event that it happens again,” Bendon said.
The agency is also partnering with the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office to ensure those responsible face consequences.
Transit leaders are also looking to lawmakers for additional tools to combat the issue.
During the latest legislative session in Olympia, a bill that would have required metal recyclers to photograph wire purchases and upload records to a searchable statewide database failed to pass.
Despite that setback, Sound Transit leaders say the work is far from over.
“We are generally in support of anything that will make it less productive for people to do this, and so we’re working with our partners in Olympia,” Bendon said.
Officials emphasize that copper wire theft is not unique to King County.
For now, Sound Transit says it will continue strengthening enforcement, improving infrastructure protections, and pushing for tougher regulations — all in an effort to keep trains running safely and reliably for riders across the region.