Bring back British Rail, a real railway service that worked.

Alex Holness, Erith

I’m old enough to remember BR and, though it was far from perfect, it performed really well, given how starved of investment it was.

Patrick Phillips, Cardiff

Something has to be done about the shocking price of tickets.

Matthew Hagan, St Albans

The Will Hutton article (Sunday 24 August, The Observer) makes perfect sense.

David Jackson, Stony Stratford

Bring back publicly-owned railway, to show these companies how to run it.

Jason Lodge, Hove

Bring back BR.

Jayne Dillon, Manchester

Train companies don’t invest, aren’t interested in the green agenda or improving our travelling experience. Basic infrastructure should be state-owned.

Jane Rendle, Hebden Bridge

Clean, comfortable, punctual trains with pleasant staff. Re-open branch lines with good connections. All this would greatly relieve congestion on the roads.

Joy Edwards, Bradninch

I believe that the railway should be owned by the country and government run.

Chris Hayden, Milton Keynes

Re-nationalise all trains.

Roy Lang, Manchester

Stop the scandal of private train companies running a monopoly service.

Alex West, Bournemouth

Privatising the rail network has left the UK in the doldrums. The nationalised networks across Europe and elsewhere have nearly doubled intercity speeds.

Richard Hillier, London

It was the best transport system around.

Marc Sharpe, Brighton

Brighter futures.

Sally Battley, London

Nothing has worked properly since privatisation.

Linda Hunt, Colchester

The cost of rail travel is too high.

Edwin Wilson, Ulverston

Privatisation has been a disaster for passengers, railway workers, track maintenance and safety – and for the tax payer.

Matthew Fazey, Middlewich

The fragmentation of public transport is a massive waste of money. The tendering process, consultants’ fees and shareholder profits could be reinvested in the system.

Gloria McNeil, Peterborough

East Coast in public hands is making a profit. Don’t Let it be sold off again. The profits should go to us not a private company.

Judith Klaus, Leeds

Dr Beeching screwed the railways up. So let’s do the right thing and bring back British Railways. Forget HS2.

Richard Love, Stamford

We have seen the East Coast line can deliver. Stop these shareholders robbing us of the profits we need for our railways.

Richard Oakes, London

Re-nationalise rail, power, mail and all other industries privatised by government, especially the Tory’s selfish greedy millionaires.

Kevin Doherty, Dumbarton

I don’t want fake ‘choice’. I want high quality, reasonably priced, dependable public transport and would rather my taxes pay for this directly than with private subsidies.

Andrew Stevens, London

Just some of many whys” for our cause: Branson’s Virgin: obscene fares; cramped carriages on second class; empty first-class carriages; and good but lowly paid staff.”

Michael Shea, London

The time has come for us to return to a joined-up rail system.

Timothy Bell, Newcastle-upon-Tyne

Give us back our railways – you know it makes sense.

Martin Spence, Penge

We had a main line from the 1880s to 2003. Now we go to Preston to get to London.

Frank Harvey, Blackpool

Public transport should be publicly owned.

James Proffitt, Crowthorne