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Four in five people support Network Rail's plans to transform rail services in the North of England.
The company, which owns and maintains Britain's rail infrastructure, intends to improve train links in the region.
The Northern Hub scheme includes proposals to create a new short section of railway outside Manchester to ease a major bottleneck; electrify the network between Manchester, Liverpool and Lancashire; and fully restore the Manchester Victoria station.
These plans have been shared with the public at a series of events held across the north, with 80 per cent saying that they would be more likely to use the train following such improvement works.
Graham Botham, a representative of Network Rail, said: "The scale of this consultation clearly demonstrates our ambition to stimulate economic growth by better connecting the towns and cities of the north.
"It is hugely encouraging that the overwhelming majority of the public in the region support our plans to make it easier for people to get to work, do business, go shopping and visit friends and family."
Further consultations on the scheme will be held in 2012.
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