Privatisation has been a colossal failure, with poor service and constant fare rises, going into private pockets.

Simon Dutton, Birmingham

End the fragmented railway system. Restore railways to the people.

Frank Sowerby, Durham

Privatisation equates to the pilfering of public funds into private pockets; no brown envelopes required!

Martin Boyle, London

Do not put the East Coast line into private operation. It works and is profitable. Bring back British Rail.

Kathy Ibbetson, Morpeth

Let’s have a railway service that serves stakeholders not shareholders.

Mike Nevill, Worthing

I’m not a regular passenger, but have always been against all privatisations of public entities.

John Newton, Cambridge

Most of us would support this decision. Privatising our railways was a very wrong thing to do.

Odette Gotobed, Milton Keynes

Privatisation has failed.

Kane Parsons, Ripley

The privatisation of our rail services has proved to be nothing but a disaster. Re-nationalise them now.

Gregory Lewis, London

It’s a no-brainer.

Robin Wells, Wimborne

It’s time for more accessible, affordable, accountable rail system that is owned by the public and is all inclusive.

Colin Mackenzie, Shrewsbury

Poor air quality is killing people. We need vehicles off our roads and only a thriving nationalised rail service will help.

Mark Gibson, Altrincham

My son had to take a taxi to Colchester when a train broke down on the line and was three hours getting to work.

Jenny Rivett, Ipswich

A workable transport system can only work if subsidised. Re-nationalising the railways makes sense in any civilised equal society.

Julian Gillespie, Manchester

I’m tired of paying extortionate fares in order to prop up shareholders in private companies whilst the services themselves are unbelievably substandard.

Carl Hodgetts, Cardiff

It is time for the government to admit that privatisation has been a disaster for passengers, taxpayers and railway workers and re-nationalise the railways

John Bowen, Cork

I have always loved travelling by train, as, when I was a child, my father was a guard.

Angela Lloyd, Newport

Passengers not profits.

Helen Haynes, Kings Langley

The price of public transport seems to go up all the time. The trains are a mess and are often late. What are we paying for?

Corinne Deakin, Barnsley

No matter what your political beliefs, it makes common sense to make our railway system work properly for us. Bring back transport for the public at a reasonable price.

Iain Webster, Nottingham

The franchise system is a shambles as illustrated by the West Coast Mainline fiasco. Use of taxpayers money to produce profit for shareholders is a scandal. Stop it now.

Hugh Pashley, Sheffield

Privatisation is not working and we have the ridiculous situation whereby it is cheaper to run a car (with one occupant) than it is to make a rail journey.

Rebecca Gracey, Lewes

I fail to understand how anyone could say the railway has improved in the hands of these private companies.

Russell Butler

The rail system needs to be brought back into public ownership. Private companies have lumbered from one disaster to another. It’s not value for money.

Martin Tolley, Ipswich

It’s a really important project.

Harry Martin, Wembley

This is a public service. Give it back to the public.

Elaine Dyson, Holywell

Put the profit back into government coffers to pay for the NHS.

Julie Dudley, Guildford

This would standardise the network and make sure profits are put back in and not to shareholders.

Susan Whitfield, Tonbridge

My granddad would be turning in his grave. He was a BR worker, when BR was British, and was a career choice, with a decent pension.

Angela Sandford, Ipswich