Cut fares not staff.

Michael Schouten, Brighton

Isn’t it illegal to privatise public transport?

Arkhenatan Dot Com, Sydenham

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

John Atkin, Harlech

Keep up the good work. Let’s have a railway to be proud of.

Brian Hawkins, Eastwood

Privatisation of strategic national assets is just a funnel from the pockets of users and taxpayers to those of shareholders.

Geoff Roberts, Rickmansworth

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

Not only Bring back British Rail, but bring back the branch lines as well.

Gabrielle Seymour, London

I actually remember British Rail and, although not perfect, it made co-ordinated travel more easy,

Rose Nugent, Darlington

Save us from this ludicrously complicated and expensive system – there has to be a better way.

Victoria Mayer, Edinburgh

Bring back public utilities.

Lee Lovelock-Jemmott

Not for private profit.

Stuart Dye, Hailsham

British Rail is so much better – bring it back.

Martin Farrow, Harlow

This is a no-brainer. A completely unified and integrated rail service is the only practical way forward. All else is madness.

Pete Turner, Pershore

Rail travel in this country is ridiculously expensive and, because of the closure of so many routes during Beeching’s reign, people had no option but to take to the roads.

Patricia Shave, Leicester

Privatisation has never worked, and is expensive for the rail user, as well as being stupidly over-complicated

Tim Gingell, London

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

Let our state run our railways and not other countries’ nationalised systems. Let the profits go back into the network and not into shareholders’ pockets.

Trevor Ellis, Dover

Bring back less misery to travellers. And more support for our rail workers.

Philip Overton, Great Yarmouth

We have to do something. The way the railway is run now is a total shambles.

David Hardy, Chester le Street

It would be great to also see improvements to rolling stock used on regional services like here on the Carlisle to Newcastle line.

Mike Domingue, Hexham

Rail services are already subsidised by the taxpayer. Let’s cut out the middleman; the one that is making the profit.

Alex Wood, London

An embarrassment to our country, and legitimately a large source of much misery in my life.

Sean Cole, Gravesend

It’s a no-brainer if you want the best for Britain.

Moira Collett, Colchester

Learn from past mistakes, i.e. the previous privatisation didn’t work. Why repeat the exercise?

Sue Clark, London

Yes, something essential as public transport shouldn’t be in private hands, because this sets the wrong goals. It’s “People before Profit” and not the other way around.

Martina Gross, Berlin, Germany

Most of my journeys I have to use different companies, and each wants to charge me the most they possibly can.

Joshua Ost, Chester

The UK’s rail network shouldn’t be subservient to shareholders’ interests and fares should be reasonable for all.

John Phantis, Bath

I believe that the railways would serve the country better if publicly-owned.

Emma Anderson, Otterburn

Yes, bring back railways into public ownership. If East Coast can do it then nationally we can.

Chris Newsam, Malton

Our rail system is dysfunctional and does not work for its passengers – you most clearly see this when you use a train anywhere in Europe.

Julian Bentley, Nottingham