It’s well overdue. It gets my vote and you might actually get people using it again other than for work – and save the planet too.

Hazel Simmons, Hastings

You can’t run a country when you sell off all its assets. We are in a right mess now, thanks to the greed of a few. Let’s balance society and treat all equally.

Gavin Oxbury, Hull

The Tory sell-off of the UK infrastructure has not worked. It’s time to get it back.

Glen Turner, Warrington

The East Coast mainline has been a success since it was brought back in public hands. The rest of the network can be a bad joke.

Christopher Jack, Edinburgh

I’m tired of expensive train tickets. People should be able to visit all the beautiful parts of our country for less, encouraging people to spend money in those parts.

Anuj Bhatt, London

As one in the same industry and a customer, I could not agree more.

Kerri Clegg, Romford

A great place to start. Then we can see about bt and the other utilities.

Iain Woodfield

I’m sick and tired of dealing with a private monopoly. Either diversify carriers or bring back British Rail.

Mary Leneis, Abingdon

Privatisation is the worst idea. It feeds corruption and is a joke to Great Britain, the best example of “Rip-off Britain.” The system is broken.

John James, Orpington

Trains are a vital part of our national transport infrastructure which must serve public transport needs across the whole of the country, not private profit-takers.

Annie Pye, Bath

Bring back British Rail. The way things are run now is shambolic. Why do we have to put up with high fares and companies who simply run trains as a hobby?

David Taylor, Barry

Out of all the countries I’ve travelled to, trains are most expensive here. Constant delays, cancellations, charged extra in peak times. All for what?

Terrance Dobbins, Wirral

Nationalise… the sooner the better. We frequently holiday by rail in France. The service only ever falls apart when we arrive back in Britain.

William Marshall, Argyll

But not the sarnies.

Liz Moore, Coventry

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

It makes sense, pays money back into the exchequer and costs less to rail users.

Marc Scheimann, Luton

Railway privatisation is ‘Poll Tax on Wheels’, always has been and always will be. Why are we subsidising it continuously when we could just take it back?

Julie Goodman, London

Rail privatisation has been the best argument for state ownership in the last 30 years.

John Rennie, Chepstow

Nothing has worked properly since privatisation.

Linda Hunt, Colchester

Any service like this in private hands will suffer as it will be profit driven. Bring it back into public ownership and serve the customers instead of the shareholders!

Gordon Steadwood, Chartham

Privatisation is a complicated mess and swallows huge amounts of taxation. The East Coast Line, currently state-run, is making a profit.

John Lewthwaite, Newark

Let’s have a rail service and not a privatised joke that fills the pockets of a few fat cats.

Patricia Stevens, Newcastle

First Capital Connect must be one of the few rail operators not to offer reduced advance fares. East Coast seems to give a better service – why? No profit motive?

John Sewell, Huntingdon

What civilised democratic country flogs off its most important assets (railways, utilities, water) in the name of short term profit?

Chris Woods, London

We want British Rail back for better services.

Dylan Hartley, Sheffield

I’m so tired of expensive fares and terrible co-ordination between competing rail operators. Infrastructure should support the wider economy, not exploit it.

David White, Glasgow

Privatisation has not improved services but has increased ticket prices and increased the wealth gap in the population.

Shahram Parvin, London

East Coast trains have greatly improved since they were taken back from the National Express.

Marie Bowers, Dundee

Railways run as a public service, not as a money making operation . Profit should be ploughed back into operation to continually improve service.

Irene Lovell, Romford

Let us keep some of our nationalised companies that are showing that they can provide profit for the nation.

Gary Hawkins, Leeds