A teenager from the Blue Mountains is one of the latest to be charged for participating in ongoing anti-coal protests by Blockade Australia, which started more than a fortnight ago.
Police said they arrested a 17-year-old girl in the rail corridor near Pothana Lane at Belford about 10.15am on Tuesday, where she was allegedly obstructing trains.
Hunter Valley police officers - along with a Police Rescue team - detained the girl and she was taken to Singleton police station where she was charged with trespassing with a serious safety risk, causing a moving train to stop, obstructing a locomotive, and interfering with equipment without permission.
She was refused bail and will face a children's court on Wednesday.
A woman also faced court on July 10 after police were called to Sandgate just after 8pm on Tuesday to reports of a person obstructing trains.
Caitlin Margaret McMahon, a 26-year-old Lismore woman, was arrested at the scene after a Police Rescue operation.
She faces three charges, including hindering or resisting police in the execution of duty.
She was refused bail and spent the night behind bars before she was released during a hearing in Newcastle Local Court.
As part of her conditions, she was ordered to stay 100 kilometres away from Newcastle and banned from entering the rail corridor without a valid ticket. She will face court again later this month.
Matters have also grown worse for commuters, with Transport for NSW confirming buses will replace trains even earlier in the evening peak as part of the indefinite closure attributed to ensuring safety amid the guerilla protests.
Transport for NSW said buses will replace peak-hour train services from 4.30pm to 7am, covering the Telarah, Dungog, Warabrook, Scone and Singleton routes until at least July 16.
"Passengers may experience some delays and gaps in services as we grapple with a bus driver shortage and routes may change," the department said in a statement, adding that it would "do its best o provide as many services as possible."
Passengers have been advised to allow extra travel time and take alternative transport options. Bus marshals will be stationed at Newcastle Interchange, Maitland and Hamilton.
"The Hunter Line has been substantially disrupted by illegal protest activity since Tuesday, June 25, with more than 20 incidents that have stopped rail traffic," the department said. "NSW Police have made 31 arrests and laid 90 charges."
The protesters facing court on Wednesday came shortly after a 21-year-old Tasmanian woman was given a three-month jail sentence for securing herself to a coal reclaimer at Newcastle port at the weekend.
She was released on bail pending an appeal hearing in the district court in September.
Blockade Australia protests have been going on daily in the Hunter since June 25, causing major disruptions to coal freight and passenger trains.
Transport for NSW has arranged for an additional 15 to 20 buses to transport travellers on the Hunter Line - along six routes from 4.30pm to 7am until at least next Tuesday, July 16, due to the ongoing illegal activity.
Meanwhile, the Rail, Bus and Tram Union has called for Blockade Australia to end the disruptions.
"Jumping in front of trains, dangling from bridges - these are ridiculously dangerous actions seemingly undertaken with no regard for the safety of other people, including the train drivers and emergency responders, they're putting at risk," NSW branch general secretary Toby Warnes said.
"It's time for these agitators to stop targeting the people at the centre of the solutions and start finding ways to engage in the conversation in the more meaningful and productive way."
Blockade Australia's Brad Homewood called for "genuine solidarity" after reading the letter addressed to him from the union on Wednesday.
"Most of the unions recognise that we're in a climate and ecological crisis and want to see the government take the appropriate action," Mr Homewood told AAP.
In the context of that crisis, the group would continue doing whatever necessary to draw attention, but safety was a priority, he said.
"We're not going to claim we know more about rail safety than the rail union itself," he said.
"But I think the fact that we've just done 16 days of sustained disruption and counting, and there hasn't been a single injury or a single death yet, speaks to how safely we've been carrying things out," Mr Homewood said.
