The argument for privatisation as a driver for entrepreneurialism and investment has been proved to be false. It just been a money grab.

Harry Mansfield, Norwich

BR was far from perfect, but should have been fixed, not replaced. It is obvious that removing money to pay lawyers and dividends is just a waste.

Andy Upton, Coldingham

Bring Back BR now.

Graham Jarvis, Salford

I’ve travelled all over Europe by train and the UK’s railways are the most over-priced and contemptuous of the passenger.

Aviva Jacobs, London

It goes from bad to worse. God help those that have to travel to work every day. It’s expensive and useless.

Patricia Notcutt, London

East Coast Rail is great and easy to deal with. A government with imagination would let it compete against the privatised companies and see who performed best.

Fred Bridgland, Edinburgh

Look at the success of East Coast and look at the failure of Southern. Need I say more?

Harry Dykes, Hull

Privatisation has been a disaster for everyone except the train operating companies.

Jeff Cooper, Chesterfield

I’m sick of terrible train services and extortionate pricing.

Tiffany Francis, Streatham

Our national rail services are an expensive, disorganised shambles.

Iain Morrison, Sevenoaks

Time to run a railway that’s about the people who use it and not an ideological experiment that has failed. For a British Rail that meets the needs of people the time has come.

Bob Balfour, Leeds

Bring back British Rail and the trains they had.

Thomas Woodward, Emsworth

The public funds wasted in private companies is outrageous and could be spent on a public functional railway.

Ben McCullough, Thatcham

Public services should be run and owned by the public, not private financial institutions who care only about profit and not service. It’s a no brainer.

George Davies, Darwen

If BR had been given the subsidies that are being given to private companies we could have had the best railway in the World.

Arthur Crawford, Edinburgh

The Conservative government of John Major in 1992 did not have a mandate to privatise the railway. Tories are undemocratic.

David Macklin, Colchester

The privatised system is expensive and pointless.

Steve Rogers, Totnes

British Rail had the blue and white train livery you knew you could trust and rely on, not like this new bunch of idiots.

Colin Flowerday

Privatisation of national assets was never going to work. It’s such a shame that the failure has cost us so much money.

Joanna Greaves, Manchester

Bring British Rail back under public ownership, and gas and electricity too if you ask me. Power back to the people.

Brian Watson, Rotherham

The cost of my daily commute into London is now £5,000 per year before Underground costs. The service is overcrowded and late on most days. It’s not good enough.

Nicholas Hamp, Milton Keynes

This should be the age of the train.

Lorna Boyd, Whitley Bay

My step-dad used to work for British Rail, but when they changed over to all other companies he got made redundant.

Shane Stephenson-King, Torquay

Keep up the good work. Let’s have a railway to be proud of.

Brian Hawkins, Eastwood

The rail network was stolen from us and it’s time to give it back.

Barny Kingsford, Exeter

Bring back British Rail.

John Traynier, Cambridge

I support the idea of bringing back British Rail because it is ridiculous to think it’s cheaper to fly than to take the train. We’ve had enough, Cameron.

Martyn Lyman, Leicester

Prices up, service down. Now is the time to turn around.

Carol Lindsay, Kilconquhar

We started the railways in the NE of England. Let’s set a better example again in the future, including building trains here.

Frances Hinton, Newcastle-upon-Tyne

All essential services should be returned to the public domain.

Malcolm Philpott, Enfield