Rail services must remain in the hands of the government, to achieve transparency and accountability.

Dawn Jackson, Durham

I enrich directors through my taxes and I also enrich them through my exorbitant fare, and the service gets worse and worse.

Phillip Pennington, London

Why have separate train and track companies? No wonder passengers, who pay high fares, are being let down frequently.

Lynda Edwards, Norwich

The state of National Rail is absolutely appalling.

Bree Allen, Harrogate

Only a Tory government would privatise a profit-making, much-beloved line like East Coast rail. It’s not logical, it’s ideological, and we all know it. Stop it now.

Jack Campbell, Leeds

Just one word. Argh.

Rebecca Steventon,

British Rail belongs to the people, not private corporations.

Philco Gibson, Leeds

Please bring back British Rail, to ensure value for money and excellent service quality for our national rail network.

Paul Kent, Sheffield

No privatised railway requirement from the EU, only a separate accounting process. Major (typical tory) conned us. Re-nationalise now. You know it makes sense.

Robert Clark, Poole

Privatisation has left us with the most expensive and worst trains in Europe.

Alex Ross, Cambridge

Save our railways.

Zoe Pearson, Exmouth

I work shifts and I’m fed up with sparse trains outside 9-5. I work in TV. Would you like it if I stopped your favourite programme because I had to get the last train?

Matt Kingsnorth, Chelmsford

Stop subsidising private companies.

Richard Jones, London

Give us a rail system we can afford to use, and one which runs on time.

Zelia Dickinson, Norwich

Privatisation has been a colossal failure, with poor service and constant fare rises, going into private pockets.

Simon Dutton, Birmingham

Railway travel should be a public service and return to public ownership, just as water, gas and electricity should be.

Philip Dawes, Chesterfield

Britain once owned many fabulous things. Now we barely own the air we breath.

Leanne Bennett, Sunderland

I will end up spontaneously combusting.

John Wightman, Airdrie

Power to the people.

Charles Burgess, Eastbourne

John Major did this to the British Railways, privatising them. It’s disgusting. I’d love them to go back to British Rail.

Steven Waite, Bridgend

bring back British rail, and hopefully cheaper rail fares

Robin Stephenson, Doncaster

Privatisation of the rail network has led to hugely increased fares and shoddy maintenance, as the only thing that matters to them is profit.

Sheila Lamb, Tewkesbury

Cross Country Trains are a disgrace. The country urgently needs new rolling stock, even countries like Georgia can buy sparkly spacious Swiss trains.

Lynne Jackson, Hinckley

Re-nationalise the railways. Use the profits to keep fares down, invest in infrastructure and pay decent wages.

Adrian Lobb, Glasgow

Privatisation has proved more expensive than BR.

Stuart Moore, Truro

Incomprehensible why foreign state-owned railways can be allowed to run UK rail franchises. System totally discredited. Bring back British Rail.

Ronald Nicolson, Kilmacolm

Privatisation pushes up fares and reduces services, hitting the worst-off and the young hardest. For many the railways are their connection to their livelihoods.

Ed Willey, Ware

It wasn’t the government’s to privatise in the first place. It needs to go back to being nationalised.

Lynda Matthews, Liverpool

Give up this capitalistic idea that the network runs better under private ownership. It’s a joke – overpriced and underinvested.

Lee Stevens, Portsmouth

The fortunes of East Coast show that public ownership is not the enemy of efficiency and quality service. This must be true for the network as a whole.

David Lindley, Leeds