Greenpeace Protesters Occupy Coal Train

[43021HST]

Good on the protesters, they've cost two 'private' companies aka DB schenker and EDF millions of pounds and made their point in quite an effective way. They've also annoyed legions of right wing head bangers. As protests go, that's a job well done.

 

[Manchester77]

Surely hundreds of global leaders flying off to NY has a detrimental effect on the climate.....perhaps standing on the end of the runway at Heathrow would have had a better media impact, saving the tonnes of CO2 and hot air being needlessly emitted by DC jetting of to yet another pointless talking shop.

I think it'd be far harder to access Heathrow's runway than to stage a demonstration on a coal train!
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Good on the protesters, they've cost two 'private' companies aka DB schenker and EDF millions of pounds and made their point in quite an effective way. They've also annoyed legions of right wing head bangers. As protests go, that's a job well done.

Indeed, while its obviously not recommended to access a live railway its certainly got them publicity and hopefully some have received their message!

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Good on the protesters, they've cost two 'private' companies aka DB schenker and EDF millions of pounds and made their point in quite an effective way. They've also annoyed legions of right wing head bangers. As protests go, that's a job well done.

Will these protesters make their way home on foot or by bicycle ?

 

[Manchester77]

Hope the protestors walked in an eco-friendly way from the nearest station or bus stop to the protest site, would hate to think of them as hypocrites.

Surely its far more hypocritical for world leaders to come together in New York for a conference on climate change when they'll have travelled there in aircraft which will have caused an awful lot of pollution!

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

With all the platitudes of Western nations ringing out stridently about global warning, what is the official view of the largest two industrial nations of China and India on this particular matter ?

 

[ainsworth74]

I believe the phrase 'drill baby drill' could be applied to their attitudes to fossil fuels...

 

[Yew]

With all the platitudes of Western nations ringing out stridently about global warning, what is the official view of the largest two industrial nations of China and India on this particular matter ?

That, I think, is the elephant in the room. And hopefully, where the next batch of talks will focus...

 

[ExRes]

Surely its far more hypocritical for world leaders to come together in New York for a conference on climate change when they'll have travelled there in aircraft which will have caused an awful lot of pollution!

How would world leaders come together then ?

 

[Mikey C]

I wonder if the Greenpeace protesters can see the irony of stopping a coal train. Perhaps (sarcasm alert) it would be better if all the coal was transferred by road instead, as that way a single train can't be held to ransom. That would be a 'bonus' for the environment...

 

[Manchester77]

How would world leaders come together then ?

They could not flown on loads of separate planes, the EU leaders could have travelled over on a specialt chartered plane.

I wonder if the Greenpeace protesters can see the irony of stopping a coal train. Perhaps (sarcasm alert) it would be better if all the coal was transferred by road instead, as that way a single train can't be held to ransom. That would be a 'bonus' for the environment...

I think that they stopped a train because it's seen as a lot harder to stop a train thus making more of a statement.

To be fair they have a point that we should be using far cleaner forms of energy rather than relying on coal, ideally we'd have more nuclear and renewable but hey ho

 

[PermitToTravel]

Good on the protesters, they've cost two 'private' companies aka DB schenker and EDF millions of pounds

Shouldn't cost DB Schenker anything. In fact, the taxpayer will compensate them via Network Rail.

 

[Mikey C]

They could not flown on loads of separate planes, the EU leaders could have travelled over on a specialt chartered plane.

I think that they stopped a train because it's seen as a lot harder to stop a train thus making more of a statement.

To be fair they have a point that we should be using far cleaner forms of energy rather than relying on coal, ideally we'd have more nuclear and renewable but hey ho

Fracking? Putin's gas? Nuclear? Would Greenpeace approve of those options?

Without significant use of fossil fuels or nuclear power, our nice electric train network will come to a halt, indeed there is already little slack in our power generation network.
"A reduced service is running from London Waterloo tonight, as the wind has dropped. Southwest trains apologises for any inconvenience caused"

 

[ainsworth74]

Shouldn't cost DB Schenker anything. In fact, the taxpayer will compensate them via Network Rail.

I'm not sure how it's going to cost EDF anything either...

 

[starrymarkb]

Pretty much every form of power generation is opposed by someone. Be it wind, solar, coal, gas or nuclear.

This might interest some of you - Live UK Power Mixture - http://www.gridwatch.templar.co.uk/ and compare with France http://www.gridwatch.templar.co.uk/france/

 

[Manchester77]

Fracking? Putin's gas? Nuclear? Would Greenpeace approve of those options?

Without significant use of fossil fuels or nuclear power, our nice electric train network will come to a halt, indeed there is already little slack in our power generation network.
"A reduced service is running from London Waterloo tonight, as the wind has dropped. Southwest trains apologises for any inconvenience caused"

I don't know because I'm not a member of green peace! Personally more next generation nuclear and renewables would be good to see so that coal can be illuminated from use as an energy source in this country. Coal is the most polluting of the fossil fuels and many can see the benefits in using other fossil fuels and other options.

Then surely it's a good idea to start to look into alternatives that can be used as quickly as fossil fuels can (hint hydro-electric hint). At the end of the day nether you nor me has the exact answers to something which is a global issue!!

 

[broadgage]

Im not saying he shouldn't stop, but once he was stopped and realised he had been stopped by persons not authorised to do so then why not pull away again?

Presumably the driver would have had a strong suspicion that he had been stopped by a false hand danger signal that was being shown improperly or maliciously.
However the driver must also have had a slight suspicion that the signal was in fact a genuine and perhaps improvised indication of some emergency ahead, it would be foolhardy to proceed perhaps into danger.
I consider it likely that some of the protestors would have been dressed so as to at least somewhat resemble track workers. Orange overalls are widely available.

By the time the train was stopped or moving only very slowly, I presume that the protestors were on the track immediately ahead, and probably on the train.
To proceed would have risked killing them.

 

[Penmorfa]

Pretty much every form of power generation is opposed by someone. Be it wind, solar, coal, gas or nuclear.

This might interest some of you - Live UK Power Mixture - http://www.gridwatch.templar.co.uk/ and compare with France http://www.gridwatch.templar.co.uk/france/

Fascinating, thanks for posting. UK demand 29.39gw, French demand 47.79gw, that's a huge difference. I would have expected them to be about the same.

 

[Llanigraham]

Presumably the driver would have had a strong suspicion that he had been stopped by a false hand danger signal that was being shown improperly or maliciously.
However the driver must also have had a slight suspicion that the signal was in fact a genuine and perhaps improvised indication of some emergency ahead, it would be foolhardy to proceed perhaps into danger.
I consider it likely that some of the protestors would have been dressed so as to at least somewhat resemble track workers. Orange overalls are widely available.

By the time the train was stopped or moving only very slowly, I presume that the protestors were on the track immediately ahead, and probably on the train.
To proceed would have risked killing them.

From the video and press reports they all seem to be wearing orange hi-vis

 

[westie1]

Fascinating, thanks for posting. UK demand 29.39gw, French demand 47.79gw, that's a huge difference. I would have expected them to be about the same.

More reliance on electricity for heating, cooking, air conditioning and, of course, railways in France.

The UK consumes twice as much natural gas as France.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Noting coal being anathema to Greenpeace, they would have a "whale of a time" (pun most definitely intended) going round all the steam locomotive sheds prior to 1968.

 

[HSTEd]

Wouldn't taking the coal constitute theft? It's one thing to 'protest' but another to make off with the cargo whilst doing it!

Normally they just unloaded it onto the tracks - this means it does not constitute 'theft' as in order to commit theft you must take steps to or intend to deprive the owner of the item in question (in this case coal) permanently.

Since the coal is not destroyed or hidden when its dumped on the ballast they are merely taking the coal without consent.

[/pedant]

Either way - isn't this just a rerun of an earlier event?

Fascinating, thanks for posting. UK demand 29.39gw, French demand 47.79gw, that's a huge difference. I would have expected them to be about the same.

Electricity rates in France are significantly lower and heating has taken over.
If you use the wierd 'Option Tempo' then for significant parts of the year your daytime rate is ten eurocents per kWh [7.8p/kWh] and your nightime rate is 8[6.7p/kWh].
(Your peak rate is huge but thats not the point - it gets towards electricity being cheaper than gas per unit of useful energy.)

 

[dysonsphere]

And if you or tried this stunt we would be in the cells faster than you can blink. So why do greenpeace think there immume

 

[HSTEd]

Because a judge gave them a free pass that time they climbed up the power station chimney.

 

[afyutr]

I hope the police all turned up in a car each.

And on a police train.

And sent a couple of helicopters up.

And then sent Greenpeace the bill.

 

[Deerfold]

I hope the police all turned up in a car each.

And on a police train.

And sent a couple of helicopters up.

And then sent Greenpeace the bill.

Wasting power does a lot more damage than annoying protesters you don't like.

Fascinating, thanks for posting. UK demand 29.39gw, French demand 47.79gw, that's a huge difference. I would have expected them to be about the same.

When I looked, around 25% of the French demand was actually going abroad.

 

[LAX54]

Im not saying he shouldn't stop, but once he was stopped and realised he had been stopped by persons not authorised to do so then why not pull away again?

He would have run over a 'Polar Bear' !! but seriously can you imagine how much hot water he would have been in, if he had moved off and one the 'protesters' got hurt, or even killed!

 

[Llanigraham]

And a quote from FB from someone who had to help clean-up afterwards:

Well after the protest yesterday that ended prematurely, Greenpeace left the site in a terrible mess. Just 15 Network Rail crew comprising of S&T, Pway, MOMs & LOMs cleared up an estimated 30-40 tonnes of bagged up coal from the track that had been filled by more than 50 of these idiots. They had makeshift trolleys on the track with the line still open. I really hope that NR, EWS, and EDF really throw the book at them. The operation of the BT police must have cost a fortune too.
All the bags were loaded onto our trolleys and then loaded onto a flat back and then transported to the power station. I'm off to bed, I'm f*cked!

 

[LAX54]

Shouldn't cost DB Schenker anything. In fact, the taxpayer will compensate them via Network Rail.

Correct, EDF may well claim against DB for the late arrival, and NR will foot the bill for the delay to the train as it was not DB's fault, goes down as trespass, and 'X' code, so NR will pick up both 'bills' and of course the end result is that the general public will foot the bill.

 

[Drogba11CFC]

You can bet your bottom dollar that had one of these idiots fallen from a wagon, or had there been a train coming the other way, the rest would be demanding DBS pay out millions in compensation.

 

[alex17595]

You can bet your bottom dollar that had one of these idiots fallen from a wagon, or had there been a train coming the other way, the rest would be demanding DBS pay out millions in compensation.

Lucky there was no overheads.