Restore Passenger Rail supporters have again hit Wellington motorways after a four month break. This morning at 8am they blocked the southbound lanes of State Highway 1, just north of the Terrace Tunnel.

“We’re back. Climate breakdown is here now. Cyclone Gabrielle was a direct hit and a direct reminder of what’s to come,” says spokesperson Rosemary Penwarden.

“Our supporters have grown. And we are not acting alone. Over the next week ordinary people will peacefully sit on motorways in Sweden, Germany, England, USA and here in Aotearoa. People around the world are refusing to sit by while our governments hurtle us down “a highway to climate hell” with their foot on the accelerator.

“Restore Passenger Rail supporters will continue to cause disruption until the government makes a commitment to restoring an affordable nationwide passenger network to give ordinary New Zealanders a climate-friendly option that the rest of the world already has. And we want the government to make public transport free.”

The Restore Passenger Rail campaign was officially launched on Tuesday 27 September 2022 when campaigners delivered an ultimatum, a demand to restore passenger rail to year 2000 levels, to a number of MPs outside the Parliamentary Library. They received no response from the government so began disrupting business as usual in the capital on 10 October through to 27 October, when they received an email from Minister Wood.

“New Zealand’s transport emissions are the fastest growing sector, and the easiest to fix. The tracks are there - increasing our use of passenger rail will lower emissions, create jobs and help revive communities. It’s a no brainer,” says Penwarden.“Every day brings us closer to climate hell - tipping points of no return like the uncontrollable melting of the Greenland ice shelf, melting of the arctic tundra, Amazon die-off and a whole lot more. People are dying every day as the climate breaks down. Eleven New Zealanders died in Cyclone Gabrielle.

“We are here because we will not go quietly into that climate hell. Our actions are not taken lightly, they reflect the urgency we all face, and we do not apologise for our disruption; Gabrielle was a taste of more to come if we stay silent. Instead we call for others to join us. If the government does not make the logical decisions to restore passenger rail and make public transport free, we will continue to create disruption.”

Shared Drive with video and photo content:

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