They’re not just privatising everything they can get their hands on. They’re closing all former nationalised industries. A socialist programme of action is the only answer.

Peter Farrell, Tunbridge Wells

East Coast shows it works. Please let common sense prevail.

Colin Bayly, Surbiton

It’s not all about profit.

Tony Wilmot, Birmingham

Bring back British Rail.

Mitch Harrison, Bolton

Cheaper tickets are needed, for travelling is getting ridiculously expensive.

Matt Weay, Farnborough,

I’m a British expat, appalled at degradation of public services each time I visit UK. Always a Tory voter but some things should remain in state hands. Singapore for example.

Richard Pendregaust, Dubai

If only half the money given to the current private companies had been given to British Rail, what a wonderful, publicly-owned service we would have.

Tomasa Bullen, Southampton

British Rail was one of the few companies that offered a cohesive service through the UK. Bring it back and give us value for money.

Elizabeth Hodgetts, Chesterfield

There’s too much subsidy paid for a lousy service.

David Holmes, Lydney

It was better when It was British Rail.

Kevin Baker, Coventry

The railways should be publicly run, publicly accountable, with profits ploughed back into the industry, not lining shareholders’ pockets.

Philip Blanksby, Derby

Railways should be a public service, not a private profit-generating business. They should work for us, not shareholders.

Alexandra Gillett, Bristol

Why should train profits go to overseas investors and not recycled into the system?

Ronald Donnelly, Burgess Hill

Prices are getting ridiculous now. What’s more, the service is getting worse. Delays, overcrowding and high expense is not what we need.

Kim Lang, Aylesbury

I would like to see British Rail nationalised so that a proper structure of management, engineers and workers can be put in place to deliver an ethical service.

Michael Connole, Rotherham

They should never have been sold off.

Mary Kitt, Caerphilly

Privatisation has not worked.

Perryn Biggs, Oswestry

The fair from Crawley to London is £35, for a distance of only 30 miles. This is unacceptable.

Jack Coleman, Crawley

We can make this work.

Guy Birkin, Nottingham

I look for joined-up thinking on the railways where trains with enough seats for all can be achieved once more. With privatisation there’s no incentive.

Arthur Bostrom, Manchester

Why should we give billions to companies to run railways when we can own it and make a profit for the nation.

M Smith, Leeds

I travel by train a lot and it is very expensive now, I can remember the early ’90s train prices were fair. I think we should bring back British Rail.

Darren McNiven, Worthing

I am English, I come back a lot. The fare structures are an expensive nightmare. Why £32 single and £32.20 return? Dutch railways are cheap and efficient.

David Quay, Breda, Nederland

Bring back the big blue trains.

Donald Hutchison, Penzance

If the French and German state rail companies think it’s a good idea to run Britain’s railways then why don’t we?

Richard Wetherell, London

How can a train trip cost so much? Convenient for rail companies, not the public. So get your snouts out of the trough please.

Debbie Wood-Holland, Wellingborough

I support Caroline Lucas’s proposal to take each rail component back into public ownership as franchises finish. East Coast shows how much better it would be.

Steve Higgins, Leeds

Privatisation is not working. Why should our railway be in the hands of foreign state-owned organisations?

John Wright, Salisbury

I demand we have our railways back.

Estelle Mageean, Barnsley

Privatisation has been a total failure (As we knew it would be) Greed has replaced efficiency and duty to the people it once served.

Michael Ley, Luton