Copper thieves target Seattle-area light rail, shutting down train line

A Sound Transit spokesperson said that the theft occurred around 2 am Saturday, during non-operating hours, when someone cut through a fence and accessed the trackway, per the Downtown Bellevue Network. Initially, Sound Transit suspended 2 Line service between South Bellevue and Spring District stations while trains continued operating between the Spring District and Downtown Redmond. However, full service was later shut down across the line as crews worked to replace the stolen cable. Shuttle buses temporarily bridged the service gap. Full train service resumed by 2:40 pm.

The incident comes as the agency is also managing emergency repairs on the 1 Line in Seattle. Five downtown stations were closed over the weekend to address broken rail segments, forcing passengers to rely on buses and streetcars.

The 2 Line only opened last year and was expanded to Downtown Redmond in May. It is expected to connect the 1 Line to Seattle in 2026. While Sound Transit is now working with King County Sheriff’s deputies to investigate the theft, questions remain about how the agency plans to secure the system against future incidents.

Copper wire theft is not a new issue in Washington and is growing. According to the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT), there have already been 30 reported wire thefts across the Seattle metro area this year, surpassing the 25 reported during the same period in 2024. The incidents are costly and disruptive. On May 25, a theft disabled ramp meters connecting Interstate 90 to northbound I-5, worsening traffic for over a week. WSDOT estimates that 2025’s thefts have already cost the state $500,000 and required more than 1,200 hours in labor.

“Thieves continue to find a way to circumvent our protective measures,” WSDOT spokesperson James Poling told The Seattle Times in early June.

The financial toll has also affected CenturyLink’s parent company, Lumen, which reported 69 copper theft cases in Washington in 2024, 36 percent of all such incidents across North America. The company estimates losses between $5,000 and $15,000 per theft. “Narcotics. Drugs. It is a drug-driven enterprise,” Lumen’s Dan Chason told KIRO. “You are having withdrawal symptoms from your habit, and you see this cable hanging there, and you know you can cash that in and get a fix — that’s the driving motivation behind it.”

Copper wiring is the backbone of critical infrastructure, from public transit and traffic systems to hospital networks, emergency communications, ports, and airports. “This isn’t just a phone line,” Chason said. “It’s the loss of your cell signal, the loss of your doctor accessing electronic records, and in some cases, the shutdown of entire facilities like the Port of Portland last month. It affects everyone.”

The issue has plagued the region for over a decade. In 2011, Puget Sound Energy faced millions in losses due to copper thefts. In 2014, a Seattle man was convicted in the state’s largest-ever copper theft after stealing 4.3 miles of wiring from Sound Transit. In 2022, Renton police broke up a ring of copper thieves.