Labour’s John Prescott spoke of the idea before they were elected the first time. What happened? Labour caved in to city pressure is my guess. Let’s do it now.

John Self, Wissett

I am a train driver for London Underground and I am always made late picking up my train and this affects the Victoria line service. It goes on my record too. I will go part time.

Charlotte Rayment, Brighton

Stop these greedy, outrageous and callous private monopolies

Ruth Rach, Lewes

If BR reduces prices and doesn’t make me sit on my luggage from Leeds to London I might use trains again rather than National Express buses.

Jean Mertzanakis, Leeds

Rail should be under unified public ownership, only more accountable than it was before to passengers and employees.

Sue Sparks, London

Nationalise the railways now.

Kether Eaglestone, London

East Coast service proves that the railways can make money under public ownership. All public services and utility companies ought to be re-nationalised.

Terry Hudson, Darlington

We are paying for major infrastructure upgrades through the public purse anyway. Privatisation just wrings the passengers for profit.

Anthony Collins, London

It’s not just the railways that need to be brought back into public ownership, but that’ll do for a start.

Andrew Pettigrew, Sheffield

Cross Country now use the Trainline to service their website and have suddenly started charging £1 to collect tickets from the self service station machines.

Gillian Malouf, Stockport

Arriva trains are heavily subsidised and too expensve to use. Nationalise now.

John Atkin, Harlech

The railway needs its efficiency and respect it once had. It will also create more jobs for the people who want work in the rail industry.

Evan Jenkins, Poole

I worked for the railways for fifteen years and I left in 1993 as privatisation was coming in. I now cannot afford to travel by train.

Ria Jones

Right now we the British public are wasting millions of pounds each year on a joke of a so-called not-for-profit rail network so that companies can profit from the people.

M Newman, Edinburgh

Obeying a European directive was one reason given for separating trains from track. If all the train operating companies were nationalised the directive could still be fulfilled.

John Meredith, Derby

Fat cat Tories selling to their fat cat friends at a knock-down price at taxpayers’ expense. I can’t wait for next May to get shot of this government.

Raymond Bishop, Godalming

We are fed up with all these fat cats which are lining their pockets with lots of money. Let the people run the railways and you will see the improvements they bring.

Claudia Bultman, Gravesend

Let us go back to the times when booking a train ticket was not a lottery and you knew in advance exactly how much you would be paying and there was good service.

Cynthia Roushorn, Wigginton. York

Run the railways for people – not for private profit.

Ian Macpherson, Egremont

Infrastructure services should be for the national good, not shareholders’.

Graham Lester George, Nottingham

Privatising the railways was like everything else the Conservatives privatised. A complete disaster.

John Russell, Norwich

Privatisation has not worked.

Stuart Gray, Trowbridge

The whole point of privatisation is competition. There cannot be competition in a sector which cannot duplicate its infrastructure. It causes dreadful service and prices.

Faisal Hamza, York

I am from Austria and Britain needs British Rail.

Tim Rauscher, Wien

Re-nationalise the rail system.

Jamie Sims, Derby

How are these money-grabbing and subsidised services better than the old British Rail?

Linda Urquhart, Loughborough

I would like to see our trains brought back into public ownership. Most of our franchisees are state operated – by other countries!

Helen Dodd, Essex

East Coast has out-performed all other rail service providers in recent years. A true indication that it should be government run for us and not for private owners.

Rod Galilee, Warkworth