Railways are an essential public service, and should be run to benefit the public, not shareholders.

John Wilkins, Sheffield

If it ain’t broke don’t mend it.

Sarah Linton, Rochester

Re-nationalisation is the right and only way to bring the railways back to a real form of public transport, accessible to and affordable by everyone.

Nick Monaghan, Castleford

Start by not selling off the East Coast Line.

Mora Rolley, Alnwick

We need a singular railway operation.

Claire James, Coventry

With privatisation the national interest takes second place to profits and strategic planning is ineffectual. Bring back BR.

Ian Semple, Peterborough

The public service network – trains, roads, cycle lanes and buses is basically rubbish, badly run, expensive and always late, It needs laws to improve or sack those running it.

Steven Wood, Goole

East Coast shows we can run trains, without private companies getting the subsidies for their profits.

David Bowers, Glasgow

It’s a total waste of taxpayers’ money, which is going straight into the bank accounts of greedy people.

Robert Masters, Newcastle-upon-Tyne

The railways should never have been taken out of public ownership.

Jean Withers, Morecambe

Southeastern sucks.

Charlie Wyatt, Gravesend

In the 1980s British Rail had about 5 managers on high CEO salaries. The private railways now have 150.

Jacob Rothman, Llandrindod Wells

I just want to be able to get to work. I live in a developed country. Is this really too much to ask? Rail privatisation was the worst idea ever.

Tim Gray, Glasgow

The success of the Direct Operation of East Coast shows that taking all rail services back into public control would most likely be more successful than re-franchising.

Peter J Walker, Billingham

It’s time to bring back affordable transport.

Jane Scott, Fleet

State amenities need state ownership by their very nature.

Ashley Langford, Wolverhampton

Daily commuter – twenty rail trips a week.

Iain Fergus, Glasgow

The last train journey I made was a nightmare and the toilets were broken and/or filthy.

Charlotte Moncrieff, Brighton

BR or Network Southeast. Just anything but today I hate having several operators.

Cameron Z Abbotts, Rochester

I think that any company which is meant to provide a public utility service should be run by the government with any profits generated going directly back into it.

Douglas Neal, Wooler

All utilities should be nationalised and run for the benefit of the public, not shareholders, with profits being ploughed back into the company to modernise.

Anne Callaghan, Blantyre

Until rail prices fall people will continue to fly across the country. Let’s make rail the first choice for travel.

Gabrielle Macbeth, Glasgow

It shouldn’t cost more to use greener public transport than driving a car the same distance. A British railway would give the profits back into the government.

Christine Sutherland, Banbury

After twenty years of greed, incompetence and lack of investment, it is time to accept that private capital cannot run a railway or a health service.

Edward Sherlock, Carmarthen

Bring back BR and reduce these expensive fares.

Alan Robshaw, Kidderminster

Re-nationalise all TOCs.

Raymond Lockwood, Wakefield

I’ve experienced major cock-ups by the current train operating companies. They all seem to be interested in huge profits and not public service.

Terry Macavoy, Halstead

I’m tired of monopolists extorting from me over an essential service.

Nicholas Simcik Arese, Oxford

It’s the only way to improve it now.

Paul Carnall, Sheffield

My dad worked on the railway before and after the privatisation. The difference in the way he was treated just proves why it needs to be re-nationalised.

Suzi Rayner, Stockton-on-Tees