ROME—A dispute in Italy’s coalition over the future of a high-speed rail link with France escalated suddenly on March 7 and raised the risk of a government collapse, with one party chief accusing his partner of acting irresponsibly.
The Alpine rail line is backed by the ruling League party, but is fiercely opposed by its coalition partner, the 5-Star Movement, which argues Italy’s share of the funding would be better spent upgrading existing roads and bridges.
