Police have started dragging climate change protesters from the rail line leading to Australia's biggest coal export facility.

A single protester from the local activist group Rising Tide Newcastle walked onto the train tracks early this morning and stopped a fully laden coal train.

Dozens more protesters quickly chained themselves to an 8,000-tonne coal train and the main line leading to the Newcastle export facility.

About a dozen protesters, including an 86-year-old man, have been arrested, several complaining of heavy-handed police tactics.

A Buddhist monk and a local councillor have also been removed from the tracks.

The protesters are objecting to what they say is the failure of the Copenhagen climate change talks to produce a just, effective and legally binding treaty.

Newcastle ships about 100 million tonnes of coal 24 hours a day, mainly to Japan and Taiwan, and today's protest is likely to have a severe impact on the exports.

Earlier, Rising Tide spokesman Steve Phillips said many of the 40 protesters were occupying a rail bridge that carries the coal into the terminal.

"One of the activists is perched atop a wooden tripod in the middle of the rail bridge," he said.

"We're here today protesting the failure of the UN climate talks in Copenhagen, that we believe the rich world wrecked any chance of getting any good agreement out of."

The protesters have warned of further action like this in the future and Australian Greens leader Bob Brown believes the coal industry should brace itself for more of these types of protests.

"Civil society is getting more and more frustrated and angry with the inaction of the pollution-bound, big-party politicians," he said.

"We are going to see more protest action against the powerful coal mining lobby, which wants to open more coal mines."