BUSES will replace passenger trains on Newcastle lines this weekend after a blitz of anti-coal protests stretched into its fourth day on Friday.
Two women were fined in court for climbing on a coal train and blocking a railway line in the Hunter during an unauthorised climate protest.
Ella Sophie Zentgraf, 25, and Patricia Joan Hammond, 77, each pleaded guilty to three charges in Newcastle Local Court on Friday after spending the night in custody.
They escaped criminal convictions but were fined $700 each.
A police operation unfolded after officers were notified "a number of people" had entered the rail corridor and were causing obstruction to trains at Allandale, about 12 kilometres north of Cessnock, at about 11.20pm on Thursday, June 27.
Hunter Valley police and the rescue squad attended and arrested the two women.
The younger woman was from Victoria and the older woman was from South Australia.
Transport for NSW on Friday said buses would replace trains between Newcastle and Dungog as well as Newcastle and Scone from 7pm "due to safety risks relating to ongoing illegal protest activity in the rail corridor in the Hunter".
Intercity and XPT services will run but to reduced speeds through the designated areas.
"NSW Trains has been working with NSW Police and the Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) this week, and based on information around further protest activity, the decision has been made to temporarily suspend all overnight passenger services on the Hunter Line," Transport for NSW said in a statement.
"This decision is not taken lightly and is to ensure the safety of the travelling public, train crew, and emergency service workers that need to enter the rail corridor to conduct rescues."
Passengers are advised to allow extra travel time, take alternative transport where available and check apps as the situation develops.
Blockade Australia has claimed credit for the unauthorised protest. It comes amid "sustained" action from the group over the past few days, which has seen several people charged and put before the courts.
NSW Premier Chris Minns blasted the protests during his Newcastle visit on Wednesday, when they had already entered their second day after police were called to remove a young woman from atop a coal train.
"Firstly, if everybody just took it upon themselves, if they didn't like a particular policy, to disrupt in a massive way, society wouldn't function," he said. "Secondly, my real concern is some of these protests are putting lives in danger, more certainly the lives of an emergency service worker who goes in to try and rescue them.
"This is a very dangerous undertaking, particularly on public transport lines or a massive working port, and I'm very fearful that it'll lead to someone losing their life."
The NSW Minerals Council accused the protests of ignoring coal's economic importance in the region.
