Pictured above: Lord Adonis makes a point to Chamber members

The chief executive of a leading business organisation in Coventry and Warwickshire said firms had a 'stronger idea' about the business case for HS2 after meeting the former minister who first announced the plan.

Representatives from the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce and around 40 local companies travelled to London to meet Lord Adonis, who was the Secretary of State for Transport when plans for the new High Speed rail system were announced.

A survey conducted by the Chamber before the visit said around 50 per cent of companies were still unsure of the economic benefits it would bring.

Louise Bennett, Chief Executive of the Chamber, said Lord Adonis had given Chamber members the strongest business case yet for HS2 but said there were still concerns about the proposals.

She said: "We have met several key figures who have tried to put the case for HS2 but have struggled to get the message over to business.

"Lord Adonis gave a very clear and definite message that this was the right proposal for the economy and was the right way forward for the UK.

"Businesses still have concerns but at least the case from Lord Adonis means firms can start to formulate a more informed opinion on whether they are for or against."

Part of Lord Adonis's case said that upgrading the current system would cost more money than HS2 but would offer only an increase in capacity by two-thirds of that which HS2 will provide.

He said connectivity would also be improved - not only to London but to the East Midlands, the north and Scotland. 

He said: "The coalition Government has maintained its support for the High Speed line which, I believe, says a great deal. In many cases, political parties magnify the differences and that can mean ripping up all the work done by their predecessors and starting again.

"That hasn't happened in this case, which is rather telling. I have looked through the survey by the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber and I don't think I have to make a case for rail itself.

"The fundamental case for HS2 is not about speed, it's about capacity. The case for speed begins to grow when you go further north and into Scotland.

"But in terms of capacity, we are now at record numbers of rail users and capacity on the West Coast mainline will be exhausted south of Birmingham by the 2020s.

"HS2 gives us the chance to take this once-in-a-generation opportunity to treble capacity on the West Coast mainline.

"If we simply upgrade the conventional line, we will spend more in cash terms and only get two-thirds of the capacity."

The meeting with Lord Adonis was part of a lobbying effort from the Chamber and the London visit also included meetings with David Frost, the director general of the British Chambers of Commerce, and four of the six Warwickshire MPs.