Italy Senate rejects motion to block train link with France

FILE PHOTO: Police launch tear gas as protesters against the project of the high-speed train rail link known as TAV, connecting Lyon and Turin, march towards a construction site, after the Italian Prime Minister, Giuseppe Conte confirmed his support to complete the railway line, in Venaus, Italy July 27, 2019. REUTERS/Massimo Pinca

ROME (Reuters) - The Italian Senate on Wednesday rejected a motion by one of the ruling coalition parties, the 5-Star Movement, to block an alpine rail link with France, paving the way for the long-contested project to continue.

The line project, meant to connect the Italian city of Turin with Lyon in France, includes a 58-km (36-mile) tunnel through the Alps. It is fiercely opposed by 5-Star but supported by its coalition partner, the right-wing League, and by most other parties in parliament.