Since 2022, Network Rail has been electrifying the line between Wigan and Bolton.
The stolen cable provided power to the overhead line equipment, which in turn powered electric trains across the tracks.
“I am very sorry to passengers who will be impacted by the rail closure,” Christian Irwin, Network Rail’s Capital Delivery director, said.
“We are working closely with the British Transport Police to provide additional security measures and to find and prosecute those accountable.”
