It is ridiculous that the rail subsidy is four times higher than in BR days when most of the train operating companies are foreign owned.

Sue Dockett, Wisbech

Why sell it off if it works? Money for the boys.

Raymond Raw, Seaton Sluice

I use the train and absolutely everything is geared up to people who need to work.

Debbie Edwards, London

My dad was a train driver all his life before he died in 1987. He would hate the state of the privatised rail system if he could see it.

Andrea Knight, Brighton

Public transport should not be for private profit.

Jan Parry, Bristol

They are quite happy to delay passenger trains by late running freight. Once is unfortunate, twice coincidence and fifty times is downright incompetence.

Kevin Wisbey, Bury St Edmunds

You cannot run a national rail system the way it’s being done. Passengers and taxpayers are being ripped off.

Peter Williams, Bexhill-on-Sea

No necessary public facilities should be in private hands.

Lorna Matthews, Greenlaw

Public transport should be for the benefit of the public, affordable, clean, punctual and not used for private profit.

Simon Fisher, Wakefield

Let’s put rail back in public ownership and stop private companies profiting from essential services.

Jill Harland, Durham

I am old enough to remember the good old days of BR when we all knew what the fares were without going through different web sites and companies.

Barry Woodcock, Kettering

Unify the network again.

James Ford, Reading

Railways are a natural monopoly. If we are to combat climate change we need to get cars off the road. A public service would be more efficient and cheaper.

Keith Cain, Llangedwyn

Only an idiot could think that giving a national network to the private sector could possibly save money for the people who use it.

Athel Dunning, London

Privatisation makes no sense. Money from tickets should pay for a better service, not to pay shareholders (and also to subsidise German rail users’ fares.)

Andrew Taylor, Oxford

The rail companies are now subsidised by six times the amount they were under state ownership. This could be used to improve the service and save tax.

James Hughes, London

Yes, bring back railways into public ownership. If East Coast can do it then nationally we can.

Chris Newsam, Malton

Fragmentation does not improve services.

Sean Willis, Grimsby

It is insane that we have a system of legalised highway robbery, where we pay more now to private firms for them to make a profit.

Mark Leith, Manchester

Please, please can we have our` railway back. It makes sense financially and in terms of organisation and customer service.

Jane Little, Liverpool

All privatisations of publicly-owned infrastructure assets were driven by commercial interests and have not served the public well – an abdication of responsibility.

John Heap, Wetherby

British Rail.

Francis Goy, Retford

British Rail days were far better.

Frank Nicholas Adam

Expensive, cumbersome, inadequate and a national disgrace – Britain’s privatised rail network. Follow the European model and bring back BR.

Anthony French, Doncaster

Considering we have just about the highest train fares in Europe, re-nationalisation would seem to be a wise decision.

Timothy Nicholas Brown, Banbury

We need a rail system that puts people before profit.

William McKay, Kettering

I use East Coast and it’s better than it’s ever been. Let’s keep it, and get the rest back.

Bill Linton, London

Bring back British Rail as it was the best the railway ever and best it has been for a long time.

Anthony Bonner, Ashford

Bring back British Rail – this system is not working.

Gerald Lock, Maesteg

Let’s stop the creaming-off of all the profits from railways then handing them back as unprofitable. Re-nationalise now.

Ian McGuffie, Sedgefield