West Coast Rail Sabotage
Following the approval of the PRGT in June, dozens of track circuits throughout BC have been shorted, disconnected, or otherwise tampered with. The vast majority of track circuits operate on direct current (DC) and are relatively easy to induce a fail state. The quickest and most discreet method has proven to be the simple snipping of the cable bonding track blocks, requiring little more than a good pair of cutters. Alternatively, a 4 AWG copper wire (commonly found connecting residential main service panels) can be securely fastened to the rail head. And, of course, there is always the option of disabling the power supply. This may include damaging the grounding, which is more time-consuming but notably harder to detect and locate. ...