The CBI has commented on the Government’s consultation on high-speed rail. John Cridland, CBI director-general, said: “We see real benefits from having a high-speed line linking London with Birmingham and the North of England, as long as certain conditions are met.

“The Government must commit to the full network, which links London and Birmingham to Leeds and Manchester, and connects to international gateways and networks, such as Heathrow and HS1.

“Other vital capital investment in transport infrastructure must go hand in hand with this. High-speed rail must result in climate change benefits, and lead to an increase in rail freight.”

In December last year, the CBI published a document which set out the views of some 240,000 businesses that employ around one-third of the private sector workforce, on the high speed line.

The document predicted that by 2020 the UK’s existing rail network will be at full capacity and will not be able to meet the rising demand. It also predicted that daily demand for long distance journeys on the West Coast mainline service is likely to more than double, from 45,000 today to 105,000 by 2033.

The CBI supports the ‘Y-shaped route’ which links London to Birmingham with two subsequent spurs to Manchester and Leeds, rather than the ‘reverse S-shaped route’ which the Conservatives had supported in opposition. This route proposes to go from Birmingham to Manchester then across the Pennines to Leeds.