Railways should be run by the public for the public, not shareholders, while passengers have to pay high prices just to stand up.

Andrew Macleod, Hemel Hempstead

How can companies dependent upon subsidies turn over such large profits? Pre-grouping railways didn

Tom Yates, Wigan

Bring back British Rail and return all railways in the UK to public ownership. I am sick of privatisation and want it to end. I want widescale re-nationalisation.

S Byrne, Walsall

I totally agree with public ownership.

Andrew Boote, Crewe

We need to re-nationalise the railways which should never have been privatised in the first place.

Ken Low, Hartlepool

The prices are too ridiculous. I’m spending a quarter of my monthly wage on trains.

Pamela McFarlane, Ipswich

I have thought for years that BR should never have been privatised. See Private Eye for our messed-up railways.

Hilary Warr, Holmes Chapel

The new timetable does not work.

Dexter Dennis, Chalkwall

Jonathan Swift once said “the party is the madness of the many, for the gain of the few”. How true old jest is today!

Frank Nicholas Adam

Re-nationalise the railways.

Lee Rigby, Widnes

Why on earth should it be half the price of the cheapest advance train ticket to drive by car to my destination? Petrol should be taxed and the money used for trains.

Jo Humphrey, Darlington

They should never have been privatised in the first place, as this is a true public monopoly.

Gilbert Fisher, Kilmarnock

It’s been too long. Time to commit Mr. Miliband.

Enzo Carrubba, Liskeard

It is incomprehensible that a national necessity is in the hands of private companies, many of them foreign.

Thomas Davies, Ross-on-Wye

All our services should be re-nationalised, for the people not private profit.

Diana Donoghue, Eastbourne

The public transport system must be attractive enough to leave your car at home, thereby helping to save the planet.

Brian Racher

Why not carry out a poll of the East Coast line commuters. Their view should be fairly conclusive.

Jack Butterworth, Harrogate

The train ticket lottery is madness, and the obvious lack of true competition between companies is hindering rail transport development.

Alice Saville

The private railway is not more efficient. It is interested only in the bottom line, not providing any kind of a service.

Phil Simpson

How many directors and shareholders are taking a cut out of the present arrangements?

Leslie Barrett, Rugby

Privatisation of the railways has proved to be a failure. Re-nationalise now.

Patrick Oakes, Baildon

They should never have been privatised. Who’s going to pick up the £35billion I wonder? The poor old taxpayer of course.

Peter Begley, Swindon

I believe the golden age of British Rail should be ahead of us, not behind.

Nicklas Gaskell, Exeter

I pay for a cheaper train even though it stops at a further station than the place I need to go to. Logic.

Saneet Bhella, Leeds

I am a Londoner, and one of the reasons why I left for the South Coast was because of the disgrace that is public transport. I support re-nationalisation fully.

Michael Apostolou, Worthing

Bring back all the profit the shareholders are getting. It can go back into investing or reducing fares as they go up a bomb every year.

Paul Bradley, Rhyl

Because it’s the best.

Andree Mehew, London

Prices of train fares are ridiculous. I hate the 4 hours of standing on an extremely overcrowded train to see my family so much so that I rarely see them anymore.

Julia Coryton, Southwark

We used to live in Staffordshire and hope to return to UK next year. We’re appalled at what Tory doctrinaire policies have done to UK railways.

John Porter, France