Farmers block railway in eastern Netherlands

[DanielB]

The Zutphen - Winterswijk railway in the eastern Netherlands has been blocked by angry farmers tonight, who protest against a new law requiring a huge reduction of emissions of nitrogenous compounds. At Lichtenvoorde-Groenlo station, two diesel multiple units have been chained to the tracks.
The farmers demand that they're not the only ones to be held responsible for the reduction of nitrogen emissions as, according to them, diesel trains are as polluting as farms and should reduce emissions as well.

LIEVELDE - Farmers stopped train traffic on the railway between Winterswijk and Zutphen in the Achterhoek on Tuesday evening. Two trains were detained at Lievelde station at 8.30 p.m., under the motto: 'If we have to emit less nitrogen, then so should they'. The reason that the farmers in the Achterhoek have chosen to stop the trains is that the vehicles on this railway run on diesel. And the emissions from those diesel trains are at least as polluting as the nitrogen emitted by farmers, they believe. And so that should also be looked at in order to reduce nitrogen emissions, according to the farmers.

Some photos can be found in this article.

 

[yorkie]

Some farmers appear to be complete and utter morons.

 

[paul_munich]

Do these protest have to do with the new BBB party?

 

[DanielB]

Do these protest have to do with the new BBB party?

Not at all. These are just local protest groups.

In the mean time ProRail reports train traffic has been resumed:

As a result of a protest, there was no train traffic possible for some time tonight between Vorden and Winterswijk. Two trains were detained and a level crossing was blocked for some time. Train traffic was resumed around 10 p.m.

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Because the protest took place on the track, train traffic was suspended

Source

Obviously the suspension of train traffic had mostly to do with the passing loop on the single track section between Vorden and Winterswijk being blocked by the two detained trains. (Nearby Ruurlo station has two tracks, but isn't signalled properly for reversing trains).

 

[paul_munich]

Not at all. These are just local protest groups.

I have to admit, I understand the farmers' anger. They have been cultivating the land and feeding the people for thousands of years, of course they are not happy when some politician tells them how to do their job...

according to twitter, the passengers of the Diesel GWT were brought to their destination with electric vehicles

 

[dutchflyer]

FRance has/had about the monopoly on farmers protests against any possible price-dumping or whatever their anger caused this time for whatever product (grain, too many grapes for the winevats, bad wheather for apples etc.) and its of course all the root problem lying at this govmt. who owns these rails where their precious/prestigious TGV run on. And if the farmers cannot think of anything, the workers unions in their socialist ways will find yet another thing to get so angry about that its time to strike again (pardon, newspeak: mouvement social).

 

[lineclear]

...according to them, diesel trains are as polluting as farms and should reduce emissions as well.

Back to school for them!