Business will be told it has to help pay for the government’s plan for a £20bn bullet train line from London to Manchester, under plans to be published this year.

Andrew Adonis, transport minister, wants the new 200mph line to be at the heart of a revamped rail system, putting the capital within 45 minutes of Birmingham and 75 minutes of Manchester. But Lord Adonis told the Financial Times that while there was “a very strong case” for the new line, it would have to be partly funded by business, which would benefit from improved transport links.