HAMMOND, Ind. (AP) — The South Shore rail line is blaming copper thieves for recent delays.

Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District Police Chief Robert Byrd says thick copper cable was stolen from two locations in Hammond and one in Gary this week, disabling the track signals.

That forced train engineers to slow down and contact dispatchers for instructions on how to proceed on the commuter line, which runs from South Bend, Indiana, to Chicago.

Byrd says the thefts don’t put riders in danger.

He says there have been ten copper thefts from the South Shore tracks since June. Crews have been able to replace the stolen cable the same day.

Byrd says railroad police are setting up surveillance along undisclosed sections of track, hoping to catch the thieves.

Posted 9/11/2008