Government subsidies should be used to update infrastructure and not to line shareholders’ pockets. Also, keep it British.

Sue Revell, Bath

Public services should remain as public not private enterprise. Put people before profit.

Jenny Dimond, Ware

Privatisation produces profits for the privateers and their shareholders at the expense of service users and the community.

Jim Dignan, Sheffield

Half empty first class seats, standing only on certain routes with above inflation ticket prices. Compare East Coast financial figures with franchises. No contest.

Danny Kearney, London

That is why the country is broke. All they think of is profit. The Conservatives are the downfall of the UK, Just looking after their pals, the rich.

Gordon Marshall, Newark

For all its faults British Rail was still 10 times better than the current services.

Chris Ritchie, Ipstones

Bring back common sense and rid crowded coaches of ill thought out coach design which lead to health and safety issues.

Charles Peaker, Wakefield

Common good, common sense.

Jeremy Hoyte, Oswestry

I never understood why taxpayers pay private rail operators to take passengers’ money, with no gain to the taxpayer.

Jane Lennie, Shepshed

Too many words.

Lee Miller, Warrington

Bring back British Rail. Privatisation of the U.K railway network is a proven failure; just ask the fare paying passengers!

Phill Lloyd, Hailsham

Public services are not for profit. Any surplus should be used for reinvestment and to employ as many staff as it takes to run a safe service.

Gary Dowling, Plymouth

Rail fares are way too expensive compared to our European counterparts. We need to do something about this.

Linyu Foo, London

Bring back Pride of Britain – the good old British Railway.

Vignesh Vinayagam, London

Our railways belong to us. They should not be run for profit other than to raise money to improve the service. We gave the railways to the world, now we want ours back.

John Stephens, Welwyn Garden City

Vote Green to bring back British Rail.

Jon Matthews, Swanley

Rail should be publicly-owned – and water.

Richard Fraser-Tait, Ryde

Makes good sense.

John McKinnon, Aberdeen

Surely you can give up a few Trident submarines so that the people can have a reliable train service.

Gareth Bryant, Newport, Gwent

Lower prices and prompter services.

David Chapman, Middlesbrough

East Coast line making a profit for the country and yet they want to privatise it – where is the common sense in that?

James Hurst, Newcastle-upon-Tyne

Imperative for the future.

Christopher Gauntlett, London

Lying thieves at the train operating companies, extorting enormous profits from taxpayers whilst running third world services. It is a scandal.

Thomas McAnea, London

We need to re-establish fair prices for rail travel. Privatisation has simply enabled business greed to hike prices far beyond what is reasonable at the public’s expense.

Mark Kavanagh, Leeds

The railways should never have been returned to private ownership. The mess they were in then was the very reason for nationalisation. Will they never consider history?

Enid Khan, Leicester

Good work everyone. Bring about change with peaceful non-compliance.

Jed Nejzer, Leeds

Please reinstate the British Railways for the people and save them from privatisation.

Kerry Cooper, Edinburgh

I’m 100% in favour of re-nationalisation of all public transport.

Shaun Featherstone, Cardiff

Stop these private companies ripping us all off with their price rises year in year out. Bring back BR.

Michael Pruce, London

If you remember British Rail, this is a complete no-brainer – a system that worked and did not give inflated profits to incompetent private companies.

Rev Padma Sumananda, Bournemouth