Another group in court following Restore Passenger Rail protest

Police restrain a protester. Photo / Melissa Nightingale

Another group accused of disrupting traffic on a busy Wellington road has appeared before the court.

Five protesters from the Restore Passenger Rail group, who aim to put pressure on the Government to restore passenger rail services around the country, appeared in the Wellington District Court this afternoon charged with interfering with a transport facility.

The group was arrested this morning for allegedly blocking traffic on The Terrace.

Of the five defendants, one was arrested and bailed last week on similar charges, which remain before the court.

Judge Peter Hobbs granted her bail again, along with the remaining three.

The four will return to court in June.

This morning, police were called to The Terrace between Bolton and Bowen Streets where a group allegedly sat on the road and blocked traffic.

Members of the public gathered to watch, with some calling the protesters “idiots” and swearing at them.

“I don’t care, just f***ing let us get on with our lives,” one man shouted at them.

It was the sixth Restore Passenger Rail protest in six weeks, with each demonstration blocking, or attempting to block, traffic.

Throughout April, the protests disrupted traffic on State Highway 1, Adelaide Rd, and Vivian St - and attempted to block traffic on Johnsonville Rd.