No-TAV activists block Piedmont station

(ANSA) - Turin December 16 - Activists opposed to a major railway project blocked a high-speed TGV train at a northern Italian train station Tuesday, causing delays of more than one hour on the line between Milan and Turin, media reported.
    The activists shut down traffic at the Vercelli train station by placing an iron chain in front of the Paris-Venice TGV train and reportedly defacing the first passenger carriage with anti-TAV graffiti. The blockade caused approximately one hour of delays for 11 trains in the Milan-Turin stretch. Police intervened and agents from Italy's General Investigations and Special Operations Division (DIGOS) were brought in to investigate.
    A proposed high-speed rail link, which will connect Turin to Lyon, has triggered massive protests by locals and other activists who denounce its high cost and feared damage to the environment.
    France and Italy argue the line will save money and help the environment in the long run by cutting down on automobile traffic.