Bypassing this region - or even announcing the extension of a new line from Birmingham to Manchester with mere aspirations to continue it on to Yorkshire in the future - could see businesses flock to the North West.

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The warning comes as different teams of railway experts put forward proposals for where to place a new network of high-speed railway lines, capable of reaching speeds of 200mph - 75mph faster than the current top speeds.

While a Government review in 2007 recommended Yorkshire is not connected to the network until after Birmingham, the North West and Scotland, other engineers have come up with proposals that would see the region linked first into a bigger, more cost-effective network.

Proposals from the 2M group would see a high-speed line built from London northwards in the shadow of the M1, hitting Leicester, Sheffield and Leeds, with branches out to Birmingham, Nottingham and Manchester.

Greengauge21, a leading lobbying group for high-speed rail, is working on proposals for new lines in five major corridors: from London to Newcastle via Sheffield and Leeds; London to Manchester; Manchester to Leeds; the North of England to Scotland and London to Cardiff.

The Northern Way, a collaboration between the three regional development agencies in the North, wants to see lines built from Yorkshire to London, Manchester to London and Manchester to Leeds.

While transport consultants Atkins have produced a detailed report which calls for a nationwide network of high-speed lines but states that one between Yorkshire and the capital would be the most economically beneficial.

Nick Pontone, director of policy at the Yorkshire Chambers of Commerce, said that his national organisation was also working on proposals for a high-speed rail network and that it was already clear that this region needed to be part of it.

He said: "The UK does not have a fantastic track record of delivering its transport aspirations and we are worried that a partially-built high-speed network wouldn't stretch out to Yorkshire.

"There's a concern that a half-built high-speed line that only goes up the West Coast could detract from Yorkshire's economic competitiveness.

"We will need a broader vision from the Government than just saying they will be building a line to Birmingham that might then go to Manchester and that could then be extended on to Yorkshire.

"We need a proper strategy otherwise there is the potential to put our region at an economic disadvantage."

Julie Mills, a director of Greengauge21, said that it was vital a high-speed network encompassed routes into Yorkshire.

She said: "It's really important that a high-speed rail network should serve Yorkshire and now is the time to find the best way to do that.

"Perhaps having two lines from London would allow other communities to be linked into the network, such as Sheffield. It's important to keep an open mind on this."

John Jarvis, transport project director for both regional development agency Yorkshire Forward and the Northern Way, said that it was the trans-Pennine link that could prove key to unlocking the economies of the North.

"We are highlighting the benefits to the economy of high-speed rail," he said. "Faster speeds generates better economic benefits through better business-to-business connectivity.

"A trans-Pennine link would generate new economic geography in the UK by improving speeds in the North and opening up new links between city regions along new lines, both Sheffield, Manchester, Liverpool and Newcastle, Leeds, Birmingham."

He said that a new high-speed line to London would open up the possibilities of running direct trains between Yorkshire and many major European cities, bringing further economic benefits to the region.

Harrogate-based high-speed rail expert Colin Elliff, who drew up the proposals for the 2M group, said that a new line would be most cost effective and would link in the most cities if it shadowed existing motorways and made the most of former rail routes.

"If you look at this from a political point of view, you have got to build a line on corridors of the least resistance. You could shadow the M1 up from London to Leicester, where land is available, then take the line northwards via Sheffield and Leeds. There's no such corridor going up the west coast of the country."

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