Nine people have been arrested after blockading the first train load of coal coming from the Maules Creek coal mine at Narrabri to Newcastle’s Kooragang Island.
The train was stopped at Sandgate, near Newcastle, for more than three hours with police removing five people from on top of one of the carriages.
Earlier this morning a 58-year-old man was arrested after locking himself onto locomotives, at Willow Tree, south of Tamworth.
Jonathan Moylan from ‘Frontline Action On Coal’ said today’s protest is the latest in a long line of action against the controversial Maules Creek mine.
“All the people who were occupying the rail line have been arrested,” he said.
“So we imagine the train will continue, seriously delayed, from when it first left the Maules Creek mine.”
Acting Inspector Mick Kelly said he is not against peaceful protests, but the nine protestors went too far.
“Police definitely support protesting but in a peaceful manner and certainly within the bounds of the law,” he said.
“This protest here certainly put lives at risk with the train travelling.
“It put stress on the train drivers and as a result it held up over one hundred trains.”
Police said the blockage prevented around 100 trains from getting through.
Acting Inspector Kelly said the protestors are facing a number of charges.
“They did not comply with any police verbal directions to get down and Police Rescue were summonsed and as a result they eventually came down off the train,” he said.
“At the moment we are still looking at the charges, and investigations are continuing into that matter.”