November 16, 2005, saw the Alpine valley of Susa grinding to a halt to protest a proposed high-speed railway line from Turin in Italy to the French city of Lyon.
The main concern of the valley community is pollution from the construction. The valley is already choked with a motorway, two national highways and a railway line.
The residents' main fear pollution from the mountains, where asbestos has been detected. There are suspicions that the slopes above the valley have deposits of uranium. The residents want the money earmarked for the new line to be used to modernise the existing line and improve health services in the valley, principally to deal with the hazards posed by asbestos.
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