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Brisbanetimes --> Police charge activists chained to Aurizon coal train at Tennyson

QuoteTwo anti-mining protesters have been taken into custody after they locked themselves to a loaded Aurizon coal train at Tennyson.

The train was on a freight rail line at the corner of Tennyson Memorial Avenue and Fairfield Road when two activists jumped onto a carriage and locked themselves onto the train at 9am.

The community grassroots group behind the blockade said the pair were taking action to stop new and expanding coal projects in Queensland.

"They were trying to get message to politicians and industries that it is time to move to towards a clean energy system,"  the group's spokeswoman Sue Cooke said.

Specifically, they were protesting Aurizon's reignited interest in the Galilee Basin, after it delivered a $1.25 billion proposal in March to the Northern Australian Infrastructure Facility to build a Galilee rail link.

The proposal was in direct competition with Adani Group, the Indian conglomerate behind the Carmichael coal project.

The protesters were taken into custody by police at 11am. The pair were expected to be formally charged with trespass and public nuisance.

Aurizon's head of safety Danny Harnedy condemned the protester's actions.

"It is grossly irresponsible for these groups to jeopardise the safety of themselves and our train drivers, who can be traumatised by near-miss incidents like this," he said in a statement on the company's website.

The protest did not impact any Queensland Rail lines, a Translink spokeswoman said.

Queensland Times 24th May 2017 page 6

Pressure mounts on coal dust

Most of the particulate matter in the air would surely be from the ancient Clydes hauling the trains rather than what is loaded onboard. 

Be good to return Electric Locomotives to haul the coal through the suburbs. Some covers would be good too on train wagons inline with other states.

Quote from: verbatim9 on May 24, 2017, 12:01:43 PM
Be good to return Electric Locomotives to haul the coal through the suburbs. Some covers would be good too on train wagons inline with other states.

The dual gauge line to the port isn't even electrified.

^^Time that they worked on that

Quote from: verbatim9 on May 24, 2017, 16:23:50 PM
^^Time that they worked on that