A draft agreement between the Finnish state and six southwestern municipalities to construct a high-speed train line between Helsinki and Turku is no longer valid, according to Transport Minister Lulu Ranne (Finns).

"The ball is now in the municipalities' court. They must agree on how the terms of the shareholder agreement can be fulfilled after Kirkkonummi's decision," Minister Ranne wrote in a text message to the Swedish language newspaper Hufvudstadsbladet (HBL).

She was commenting in the wake of a decision by Kirkkonummi municipal council on Monday evening to reject the West Railway shareholder deal.

The agreement would see the Finnish state and the municipalities share the cost of the construction between them — in a project that would see the country's first entirely new rail line in over a century — but the terms were subject to ratification by each participating council.

The West Railway project would see the building of a high-speed train link between Turku and Helsinki, and it is often referred to in Finnish media as "Turku's one-hour train". Prime Minister Petteri Orpo (NCP), a Turku native, has long lobbied for the project.

The councils of Turku, Espoo, and Vihti have all previously voted in favour of the deal. Lohja and Salo are scheduled to decide next week.

Kirkkonummi’s contribution to the first phase of the project was estimated to be around 15 million euros, but Ranne told HBL that the government will not make up the shortfall.

While the decision by Kirkkonummi council is a setback for the proposal, it does not necessarily mean the end of the line — but rather a re-negotiating of the terms.

Pekka Ottavainen, CEO of Länsirata (West Railway) Oy, has previously told Yle that if any shareholder municipality withdraws, talks on how the costs can be distributed will be reopened.

Minister Ranne's statement to HBL essentially means that the other five municipalities must decide whether to cover the amount previously allocated to Kirkkonummi or look to cut costs elsewhere.