All major utilities should not be run for the benefit of shareholders.

Neil Friend, Aldershot

Everything was so much better under British Rail. You didn’t need to know which train operating company you had to use because it was all British Rail.

Robert Jones, Bedford

Bring back all of the rail network.

Kathleen Myers, Merseyside

Public transportation is just that; delivering a PUBLIC service, not just profits for a few shareholders.

L Frishwasser, Bath

It is prohibitively expensive and pricing unnecessarily complicated when travelling by rail.

Clare Jaap, Brighton

I’m too young to remember the railways before privatisation, but I am disgusted with the colossal increases in fares every year. Re-nationalise the railways.

Kade Ramsey, Colchester

With the present divisive system there is no co-ordination, only feeble excuses.

Lee Ward, London

Vote Green to bring back British Rail.

Jon Matthews, Swanley

It’s about time taxpayers stopped subsidising railways so private firms take profits. East Coast rail has proved that public ownership equals profit for taxpayers.

Michael Thompson, Doncaster

Freedom of movement is useless with overpriced transport.

Cameron Fleming, Manchester

The current system is a farce, which costs the taxpayer millions and lets private companies skim off the top.

James Honke, Iver

It’s about time rail travellers got a better deal and the profits come back to the taxpayers and not greedy shareholders.

Jo Christman, Spalding

Railwaymen, not accountants, should be running the railway.

David Fox, Bristol

How long will it take the government to stop these vultures giving the public an awful service?

Andy Welling, Bristol

We need a publicly-owned, accountable and affordable railway more than ever at this time of austerity and climate change. Rail rather than more short haul flights.

Fliss Premru, London

Bring it back but make it the John Lewis method, where everyone is equal.

Fraser Henderson, London

They should never have been sold off.

Mary Kitt, Caerphilly

Privatisation has been an expensive disaster. Re-nationalise.

Gill Page, Bedale

It’s the worst railway service in the World and a system that exists solely to rip off commuters. The end of this botched system can’t come soon enough.

James Howells, London

My father was a guard for British Rail and my grandad was a signal man. Both worked in Ashford, Kent.

Vince Hutchinson, Deal

I recently travelled on trains in Europe and China, superior to the UK and run for their people. UK get a grip and nationalise.

Lisa Mundy, Portsmouth

Why can’t we all have a service as good as the nationally-owned East Coast line?

J Miller, Berkhamsted

As an ex BR employee I am very aware of how standards of customer service have declined to near extinction in the past 30 years.

Bill Moss, London

Major had no business selling my railway to his friends. I want it back.

Gina Kirby, Leeds

My son works 12 hour shifts in Manchester and Northern Rail have made this unbearable, very close to undoable.

Diane Lindsay, Ormskirk

As a regular West Coast traveller I am consistently frustrated by increases in rail fares.

David Smith, Stourbridge

There’s a fat chance of this happening under the current regime, and with UKIP popular too.

Conal Dunn

As the chronic chaos and mismanagement (not to mention the costly subsidy from public funds) shows, there is an unanswerable case for a re-nationalised rail service.

Lindesay Irvine, London

The present system is a financial disgrace.

Brian Bushell, Porthmadog

The success of the East Coast franchise in public ownership shows just what can be achieved. All the rail franchises should be taken back into public ownership.

John Salter, Consett