Germany nuclear train arrives at destination

A train carrying reprocessed nuclear waste from France to Germany has arrived at a loading station some 25 kilometres from the storage facility in Gorleben.

The containers of nuclear waste will then be loaded onto flat bed trucks where they will be transported to the storage facility by road.

Protesters were earlier removed peacefully from the tracks to allow the train to pass through.

Violence erupted early on Sunday when 250 activists tried to damage the track near the waste dump to halt the train. When police tried to stop them, the activists responded using flare guns and a chemical spray that caused eyes to tear up.

Riot police used truncheons, teargas and water cannon to stop the violent activists, who were part of a larger group of about 4,000 protesters near the town of Leitstade trying to halt the train.

The waste shipment has become a tense political issue due to anger over Chancellor Angela Merkel's decision to extend the lifespan of Germany's 17 nuclear power plants despite overwhelming public opposition.

The train was held up repeatedly on its way across France and Germany on a journey that began on Friday. In Germany thousands staged sit-down strikes on tracks and others lowered themselves on ropes from bridges to prevent the train from passing. They were removed by police.

Protesters fear the depot at Gorleben, built as an interim storage site, could become permanent. Greenpeace says the site, in a disused salt mine, would be unsafe over the long term.