Opponents of plans for a one hour train link between Helsinki and Turku were due to hand over a petition against the project to Minister for Transport Sanna Marin on Monday afternoon. Some 2,500 signatories backed the petition.
The proposed route for the track would run through the residential district of Lukkarinmäki, an area of wooden houses in the southwestern city of Salo, and could potentially lead to a number of houses being knocked down.
The local residents association, the Lukkarinmäki Society, have proposed alternative options, citing the area's designation by Finland's National Board of Antiquities as being of national and cultural significance.
The committee's proposed alternatives include building the track around the Lukkarinmäki area, or the construction of a tunnel under the neighbourhood.
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The proposed rapid rail link between two of Finland's main urban hubs has been on the table for a number of years, and is contained in the current government's agenda announced in June.
Business groups have been lobbying the government to build the so-called One Hour Train as a means of cutting Finland's greenhouse gas emissions.
The current rail link between Helsinki and Turku takes an hour and a half by Pendolino train, and up to two hours on other services leading to many people opting to travel by road or air links.