Martin Parry, SwindonThe cost to the public purse of the private railways, through subsidy, is far greater than British Rail ever was.
Suki Jones, PortsmouthPublic Transport should be just that, run for the public by the public, but we have got to get it right. The Germans can do it, so why can’t we?
Dave Shepherdson, Newcastle-upon-TyneI’m fed up with Northern Rail shoddy carriages.
Richard Morley, LondonBring back British Rail.
Peter Millar, SheffieldThe current system is rubbish and the fares confusing. It’s unusable compared to the state-owned continental railways.
Arthur Hornby, LiverpoolLet’s get them all back.
William Hall, HatfieldPrivatise rail companies put profits ahead of passengers and continue to offer the travelling public a third rate service.
Ian Harvey, PaigntonPlease re-nationalise all public utilities and buses too.
Linda Davison, DissBritish Rail had better timetables. The prices were cheaper which allowed more people to use trains in off peak times. The service was brilliant..
David McDermid, Newton MearnsPrivatisation of BR was one of the most inexcusable government decisions ever. We are left with high fares and bad service. Privatisation didn’t work for BR.
John Raynor, LutonRe-nationalise energy as well.
Lewys Hall, NottinghamPrivatisation has been a total mess, providing a second class service and extortionate fares.
Kadam Hussain, LeedsEast Coast mainline is profitable. Apply this template to the other companies and re-nationalise. Nothing wrong with a profitable state-owned system.
John Hobday, BristolPublic transport should be based on service and not profit-making for shareholders.
John A K Davies, HaverfordwestArriva Trains Wales is state-owned – by Germany.
Stephen Barksby, ManchesterLong overdue. Privatisation hasn’t worked except for the corporates. No trickledown effect.
Michele Walker, WoodstockA unified public sector rail network, properly subsidised, should be a much more organised, and profitable venture.
TedI left British Rail in disgust when it was privatised. It was sickening the way every simple job ended up ten times more complicated in red tape and cost.
Peter Jones, PrestonPrivatisation was the civilian equivalent of a war crime.
Robert Naylor, MansfieldThe railways are a brilliant way to transport people and goods and belong to the people of Britain. This should never be in private hands.
Jeff Barratt, CroydonLet’s bring it back into public ownership. Let’s just get people into work even if it runs at a loss.
Joe Gallagher, GlasgowRe-nationalise all public services.
Peter Fraenkel, LondonIt ought to be obvious that a well managed single entity can be more cost effective than if the same enterprise is divided into a multiplicity of separately managed parts.
G R Parker, TadcasterWhat’s good enough for East Coast and most of Europe should be good enough for the UK.
Dawn Price, NottinghamBritish Rail should be owned by the people.
Nick Green, BrightonAbout time. Let’s go for it.
Pieter Cornel, LondonPrivatised rail in the UK has failed. It has failed to keep fares down, and it has failed to deliver reliable services.
Lynne Coppendale, DoncasterWe have the highest fares I can think of anywhere. As a result I pretty much never use trains. I love train journeys and would use them but cannot afford them.
Charlie Sutherland-Boyce, LivingstonDespite the curly sandwiches, they still provide a cheaper and more efficient service.
Claudia Tarry, LondonSouthern Rail made my life misery for years and may now prevent me from moving from London back to Brighton to be closer to my family, as I might not be able to get to work.