Restore Passenger Rail protesters charged with blocking Wellington road in court, granted bail

A school bus tried to edge past a group of protesters on Glenmore Street, Karori. Photo / Azaria Howell

Another three protesters have appeared in court following the blocking of a Wellington road this morning.

The men, aged 52, 53 and 81, appeared in Wellington District Court this afternoon, all charged with interfering with a transport facility.

They did not enter pleas and were all granted bail and ordered to return to court in June.

One of the men had previously been bailed after being charged with participating in a similar protest in October.

The trio is connected to the Restore Passenger Rail group, which has conducted multiple protests across Wellington in recent weeks.

Today’s protest saw a group sit across a pedestrian crossing on Glenmore St, causing traffic to back up along the road. Two of the protestors were glued to the road.

Buses were blocked in both directions. However, one bus filled with schoolchildren managed to edge past the demonstration.

One man who was a passenger on a blocked bus told the protesters they were blocking his way while he was trying to go to visit his daughter in the hospital, who was receiving chemotherapy.

“You may have time and the money to be able to do this protest and stop a whole lot of other people in a completely undemocratic way, but I need to get somewhere,” he was heard telling them.