On the one hand I'm not entirely surprised, with the recent rises in commodity prices and the failing economy this sort of thing is to be expected - note that in recent years houses - some partly built and even some occupied, have been burgled for their copper wiring. I even remember reading an urban legend that just outside Chernobyl, all the radiators and television sets abandoned from the old Pripyat city have been stolen by marauders over the years, as even that (irradiated) stuff has some value.
On the other hand, it seems very serendipitous for Irish rail that a line they want to get rid of suddenly gets its rails 'stolen' ...
On a more practical level, where from the black market might this steel end up? Are there any steel mills in Ireland? Have they been asked to query the origin of any old rails they might be sold? Is there a code of practice in Ireland or Europe to deal with stolen steel (railways, beer kegs etc)?
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