Four members of the
controversial environmental group Restore Passenger Rail were charged with endangering transport and could face up to 14 years in jail after they unfurled a banner and glued themselves to SH1 outside the Terrace tunnel in Wellington shortly before 8am yesterday.
Police said the protesters posed a serious threat to public safety.
The four appeared in the Wellington District Court at 2pm yesterday, and were granted bail. They will reappear on Friday at 10am.
Masterton’s Jeremy Logan – a member of the group who didn’t take part in yesterday’s protest – said the drastic protest action was born of a real concern about climate inaction.
He said he understood why motorists were frustrated but said Restore Passenger Rail was taking direct action to send a message to the government for more urgent change.
Minister of Transport Michael Wood condemned the protest: “The tactics used by Restore Passenger Rail, including disrupting commuters and delaying emergency services, are unacceptable”.
Wood said the government has a plan to boost rail in New Zealand, including spending $8.6 billion since 2017 repairing the neglected track network.
Wairarapa’s trains reach their end of service life in 2028; the government has not yet confirmed if it will fund the hundreds of millions of dollars needed to replace them.
