East Coast Rail was an exceptionally good service, reasonably priced and making a profit – so why hand it over to private enterprise?

Ian Davies, Edinburgh

East Coast must remain in public hands – it provides an efficient service – and makes a profit for government. Why change a good thing and put profits into private hands?

Mary Francis, Leeds

Bring back British Rail.

Alan Butcher, Washington

Regular commuter

Steph Withey, Worcester

I totally agree with re-uniting the national rail network.

Stephen Bellamy, Ingatestone

It’s a diabolical service and they don’t care about the passengers, but useless top managers are paid millions.

Mike Kirwan, Nottingham

My daughter commutes to London daily. She pays almost £1000 a month to stand, herded like cattle. Privatisation means profit first, people second. Wake up Britain.

Teresa White, Flitwick

Keep the fare prices down and the public services in public control.

Freddie Gould, London

This situation is inefficient and costly. West Coast would be better off in state hands.

Howard Sanders, Crawley

Bring back a nationalised rail system. If private companies can make money, so can a nationalised system.

Susan Nutt, Blandford

They said privatisation would make fares cheaper and improve the commuter experience. We were lied to.

Liam Gibbons, Bradford

I have finally given up on trying to travel by train. It’s far too complicated, far too expensive.

Jenny Mangin, London

Re-nationalise the railways.

Lee Rigby, Widnes

In the past local trains would have waited until the arrival of late-running main line trains, but they don’t in the era of a privatised system.

Alastair Lings, Galashiels

No civil transportation diminishes the system for me. Private companies are not civil service.

Eugene Souza Kiefer, Las Vegas

We are demanding a re-unified national network run for people not profit.

Audrey Frumento, Ipswich

It should never have been sold off. Fat cats got fatter.

Amanda Mulholland, Birmingham

The chaos of different companies charging different rates and all in it for profit, while being heavily subsidised. It’s crazy. Rail travel should be simple and integrated.

Katharine Jones, Swansea

Privatisation, fragmentation, subcontracting, internal markets, franchising, managers, managers, managers, jobs for the boys… Rip-off Britain!

James Woodman

Bring back BR.

Paul Coombs, Swansea

The Railway is for the people not the shareholders. It’s time to re-nationalise.

Douglas Oxer, Bolton

I travel the rails a lot. East Coast mainline is by far the best in terms of service, ticket price, and customer care. It is owned by us and makes a surplus for us.

Hugh Butcher, Tadcaster

We need to unify the railways again to make them much cheaper for us to use, so we need British Railways back again.

Colin Carpenter, Bedford

I hate Virgin trains. It is painful to pay so much money for an uncomfortable service, either freezing cold or suffocating hot, with horrifically smelling toilets.

Rachel Hardy, Liverpool

Trains are transport for the future. Please fund adequately, increase numbers and connectivity for all.

Frances Hooker, Sheffield

Stop charging inflated prices for rail journeys and profiting from rail travellers.

Yvette De Sylva, Leicester

Trains for the people, not for profit.

John Marriott, Harlow

Public transport should be for people not profit.

Fiona Shaw, Norwich

Re-nationalise now.

Eva Schovneld, Edinburgh