AA President Edmund King, visiting professor of transport at Newcastle University, said: “It appears that perhaps the main raison d’être of high speed rail – speed – seems pretty irrelevant to most drivers.

“If speed is not the over-riding factor then it seems that the Government is backing the wrong horse.”

Mr King suggested a third of the money to be spent on high-speed rail could go into the existing train network, with the rest improving roads, from dualling the A1 to building bypasses and tackling bottlenecks. “I think that would actually benefit the economy more,” he said.

Supporters of high-speed rail insisted the region would benefit in the longer term.

Liberal Democrat peer Lord Shipley, former leader of Newcastle City Council, said: “I think those objecting in the North East are being very short-sighted.

“High-speed rail is not about an immediate quick fix to the North East economy. It is about ensuring that the region remains competitive 30 years from now. This is about foresight. It is not about the next five years.”

He backed arguments about the need to upgrade existing rail lines, but warned that “it must not be a choice” between such improvements and high-speed rail.

Peter Jackson, leader of the Conservative group on Northumberland County Council, was optimistic that the project would boost the North East economy.

“The only problem is that it will take some time to get it running. But I think our patience will pay off in the end,” he said.