North West Insider Magazine reports that the business community has shown its support for the Northern Hub, the exciting plan to boost economic growth by improving train services across the North.
The Northern Hub has received the support of chambers of commerce across the North, united in their call for Whitehall to back Network Rail's £530m Northern Hub plan.
The chambers emphasised the invaluable benefit a revitalised trans-Pennine rail link would bring to business and the regional economy.
"There is an extremely strong economic case for investment in the Northern Hub, which is why the chamber is fully supporting Insider’s Back the Bid rail campaign," said Gary Williamson, chief executive of Leeds, York and North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce.
"The combined economies of Leeds, Liverpool, York, Manchester and Newcastle are a national balance to the economy of London, therefore, like in London, investment in infrastructure, and particularly transport infrastructure, must be a priority.
"Overcrowding is a major issue on many northern rail routes, particularly during peak hours and so the increased capacity and additional services will be welcomed by businesses and commuters."
London and the wider South East have benefited from a £16bn investment into its infrastructure with Crossrail, and Williamson told Insider the case for government funding of the trans-Pennine rail network was as critical as other heralded schemes.
"Investment in the Northern Hub is equally as important as investment in a high speed rail link to London and I hope that the coalition government recognises the urgent need for this investment."
His comments were echoed by Richard Critchley, transport policy manager for Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce.
"Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce has long been a supporter of the campaign to secure investment within the Northern Hub and address the rail bottleneck around Manchester City Centre," he said.
"This is one of the most critical pieces of infrastructure for the economy of Greater Manchester and the entire North of England."
Making a comparison with infrastructure spending in the capital, Critchley said the investment would provide a major boost to the regional economy.
"The hub has now become a major constraint on growth, limiting commuter, intercity and freight services, restricting journey speeds and access to key centres of employment," he said.
"Research has shown that investment within the hub has the potential to deliver a benefit to cost ratio of 4:1, a massive return for a rail project and greater than that for London’s Crossrail."
Sheffield Chamber of Commerce has also put its weight behind the campaign. Tim Hale, vice-chairman of the chamber's transport forum, said the creation of a high-speed rail network linking London to Sheffield and Yorkshire would substantially benefit a wide range of businesses.
He added: "Improving connections between Sheffield, Leeds and Manchester will be just as important. It will be another piece in the building of the economic jigsaw for the region to ensure sustainable growth.
"The total population of the Sheffield, Leeds and Manchester city regions is greater than London and has vast potential to increase its market size and asset base.
"By improving transport links between the key cities will enable businesses to collaborate on more projects together and move towards the creation of a single northern regional economy which will be one of the strongest not just in the UK but across Europe."