We the taxpayers are already subsidising them. We should take them over and run the railways as a public service.

Paul Gatenby, Liverpool

Total re-nationalisation is probably unfeasible. Infrastructure (Railtrack) should be publicly-owned.

Mike Falchikov, Edinburgh

Northern Rail – what a rip off.

Anthony Webster, Newcastle-upon-Tyne

Going on public transport is like a visit to the third world.

Simon Lumley, Hungerford

Railways should be run as non-profit-making.

David Robinson, Dewsbury

I support this petition.

Suzanne Davies, Carmarthen

Let the public sector manage our infrastructure for the benefit of our society and not the pockets of big business.

Simon Murray, Newcastle-upon-Tyne

Open your eyes and get it back in public ownership.

Denis Prickett, Egham

The East Coast line is the most efficient in Britain, and publicly-run rail in France and Belgium is cheaper and far more efficient than privatised rail in the UK.

Graham Johnson, Nottingham

A usable, affordable rail network is a vital part of tackling climate change.

Paul Stevens, Matlock

British Rail was far more profitable and efficient and affordable than the current system. Thus we need it back for the future.

Stephen James Lemon, Portsmouth

I don’t use the rail network since learning to drive but a national rail network/provider seems to make good financial sense as long as it is allowed to modernise.

William Grant, Surrey

Stupid and unfair prices. Bring Back British Rail.

Louis Graves, Stockport

Overpriced fares, overcrowded and late trains. When FCC franchise runs out in 2014 the route should be taken back into public ownership. Put passengers before profits.

Teresa Smith, Royston

They should never have been de-nationalised in the first place.

Alison Damant, Bradford

Privatisation is the worst thing to have happened. We have ever increasing fares (above inflation) and overcrowding. There’s profiteering beyond acceptable levels.

Steve Horton, Erith

it was run better when it was BR.

Padda Brewster, Wolverhampton

Let’s Bring back British Rail and bring down fares.

Dominic Bridge, Manchester

Do what other countries do and subsidise the rail network and bring back British Rail. It worked.

Elizabeth Plumb, Cambridge

Private companies succeed by putting profits first. That’s what capitalism is all about. Nationalised companies can put the public benefit first.

James Craig-Gray, London

Bring back British Rail and sort out this ludicrous mess. Is there anywhere else in the world where ticket prices for the same journey change from day to day?

Les Hughes, Wakefield

It used to work, not perfectly, but far better, and cheaper than the current mess.

Jo Winship, Hull

Tired of paying triple fees for peak hours for the same service. Only bosses get rich and the quality of journeys gets worse.

Mehmet Ozturk, London

If privatisation is the answer, it must have been a silly question.

Anthony Leather, South Shields

The government bought the railways before. Make them do it again.

Steve Ferguson, Huntly

Re-nationalise public services now.

Tomas Bayliss, Worthing

I would like profits currently paid to shareholders put back into our services and not have them sold off in the fist place.

Karl Groom, Bracknell

Anything to keep the fares down.

John Brice, Ulverston

We need an integrated, nationally owned rail service, not one fractured into competing companies – some partly owned by other countries’ national rail companies.

Sheila Cross, Northallerton

Privatisation has been a total disaster, taking the public for a ride in quite the wrong way.

Neil Rhoden, Stromness