One man has been arrested by police investigating the theft of thousands of dollars’ worth of railway sleepers from Auckland’s Glenbrook Vintage Railway.
Witnesses called police on May 2 after seeing two men removing railway sleepers from beside active track.
Waiuku Sergeant Michael Robinson said the witnesses managed to record a vehicle number plate as well as take video footage that helped to identify one of the men.
“Police executed a search warrant a Pukekohe address where a number of railway sleepers were located and seized.
“A man was also arrested at the address and will appear in court next month.”
The heritage railway south of Auckland attracts around 65,000 visitors a year and was almost entirely supported by rail activities, had been the target of what the trust chairperson called a “multitude of attacks” over the past year.
Glenbrook Vintage Railway Trust chairperson Glenn Deed said a separate attempt to steal railway sleepers from under active track last month might have led to a fatal derailment if the thieves had succeeded.
Diesel units the railway was storing for Auckland Transport had also been “gutted” by vandals, with copper wiring stolen, fire extinguishers discharged inside, windows smashed, and seats dragged outside and set on fire.
Deed told 1News this afternoon it was “refreshing” to see some action over the repeated thefts targeting the railway.
Up to 10 railway sleepers had been recovered and returned to the trust by police.
“It’s nice to see those come back,” he said.
Deed said the most recently stolen sleepers had been removed to be reused and were sitting beside the active track rather than being part of the track.
“Having those sleepers removed was an inconvenience, but not a danger.”
A 64-year-old man was expected to appear in Pukekohe District Court on June 12 charged with theft and trespassing.
Inquiries to identify and locate a second person was ongoing.
