Prices are too high. The leg room is designed for anyone under 5ft and anything over that causes a lot of pain and discomfort.

Jennifer Macrae, Salisbury

It was so much better when we ran it ourselves.

Susan Rogers, Manchester

Railways should be the best form of public transport. They should be efficient, reasonably priced and a public service, not a commercial carcase for stripping.

Charlotte Reader, Clacton-on-Sea

It is so disjointed that it is unreal, needs to be nationalised to function for the many not the few.

Kevin Dudding, Kingston-upon-Hull

Stop wasting public money and take the contracts into public ownership when they run out

John Kelly, Durham

The privatisation of the railways was an ideological move by the Tories. Privatisation only works where there is competition but our rail operators have a monopoly.

Rebecca Dobson, Tunbridge Wells

Get it done.

Mark Brown, London

We need a unified publicly-run rail service.

Mark Harrison, Ilkley

Chiltern Railways have proved how it makes sense to own the track you operate on.

Jack Palfrey, Oxford

A nationalised railway system would put people before profits.

Margaret Robinson, Yarm-on-Tees

The last 20 years have seen the taxpayers’ pounds drained into shareholders’ pockets and fares rise disgracefully. Profit is not the only motive; service enriches us better.

John Gilfillan, Leeds

It didn’t work.

Verity Berrie, Kent

I work as a train guard for Northern Rail and I totally agree with putting people before profits for greedy private companies and shareholders. Come back BR – all is forgiven.

Duncan Laverty, Leeds

Save our railway.

Elin Gibbon, Wigginton, York

Bring back British Rail.

Stephanie Thomas, London

Rail, NHS, Mail. These are core social services and should not be run for profit. Directly Operated Rail has proved this will work.

Simon Pickles, Enfield

Rail travel is currently such poor value for money, and is an un-integrated mess. Why should the companies make so much profit for giving so little? Try BR again.

Adrian Neal, Cambridge

We lost our station to Beeching but there’s one 4 miles upline only thanks to tireless campaigners. I want to see all the lines open again – a service, not for profit.

Viv Horne, Stalybridge

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

Odette Gotobed, Milton Keynes

I do not use railways any more. Why should single fares cost nearly as much as returns?

Helga Baggs, Old Buckenham

We need to re-nationalise all the transport and utilities.

William Ryan, Manchester

We need a publicly-owned railway system.

Imogen Forster, London

Stop the rip-off prices. It’s the most expensive public transport in the EU.

Nicholas Bradley, Exeter

The East Coast line is doing much better now it is run by the Government again – it is in profit.

Rosalind Brierley, Peterborough

The system is that we/the state pay for the upkeep and renovation of the rail network. This generates profit, which the rail operators use to buy islands in the Caribbean.

Peter Roberts, Edinburgh

They should never have been sold – nor gas, electricity, post office etc.

Dennis Wood, Clacton-on-Sea

What is wrong with public services for the public as opposed to selling valuable institutions and infrastructure to private companies beholden to profit and shareholders?

Marion Clement, Edinburgh

Re-nationalise our UK Rail System. United they stand (SNCF), divided they fail.

Richard Lower

The service is a disgrace and a waste of tax-payers’ money.

Wayne Lamming, Scunthorpe

It seems a very good idea.

Roger Hole, Hutton Rudby