Once British Rail was the best in the world. Today it is at the bottom of the list. Shame that privatisation created millionaires at passengers’ expense.

Anna Bartz, Leeds

Stop wasting the taxpayers’ cash and bring back British Rail. If you don’t then the taxpayer should receive the money back that the government has wasted.

Kate Gunn, Tyne and Wear

Terrible! Buying new trains doesn’t sort punctuality! People don’t care what train they’re on as long as its on time!

Ashley Roots, Freckenham

Bring back a railway not dominated by the profit margin.

Ian Stewart, Rushden

More than half the British population want industries like rail back in public ownership. And they’re right.

Des Nelson, Edinburgh

The profit from running the railways should be used to reduce fares and improve the infrastructure.

Jeffrey Spencer, Newton Aycliffe

The railways should be in public hands. It’s supposed to be privatised, yet governments continue to subsidise these companies.

Ann Tosta, Wakefield

British Rail appeared to be more reliable and less costly.

Sandra Foster, Rainham

Public enterprise for fairness and better services.

Alan Henshaw, Cheltenham

I support a national railway that supports U.K. citizens

M. Clare Thornton , Plymouth

East Coast has out-performed all other rail service providers in recent years. A true indication that it should be government run for us and not for private owners.

Rod Galilee, Warkworth

The Fat Cats have gorged and satiated themselves out of the pockets of hard working people for long enough.

Jenny Merriman, Melton Mowbray

Compare how well the nationalised East Coast rail network is doing compared to the privately-run operators.

Ann Partington, Gateshead

Connectivity, simple fare system, all better as British Rail, with profits ploughed back.

Philip Barlow, Nottingham

This is self explanatory.

Stephen Baxter, Glasgow

The privatised railways have been, and continue to be, a failure.

Roger Turner, Markfield

Bring back the breakfast car for civilised travel not HS2.

Simon Carne

Media deception promoted a negative image of all nationalised services. Just like this government is trying to do with NHS now.

Deb Long, Leeds

It’s supposed to be a service, not an excuse for money-making.

Mark Tattersall, Ramsbottom

Hear me, you wrangling pirates that fall out in sharing that which you have pillaged from me. (Richard III, William Shakespeare)

Stephen Roach, Haverfordwest

What a bizarre system we have in UK when our privatised system is providing profits for the publicly-owned nationalised systems of our European neighbours such as SNCF.

Anne Harrison, London

We have enough pigs with their snouts in the troughs. Keep this line for the people.

Eric Hill, Sheffield

Cheaper to run a car than go on a train. Yes, you have traffic, but you’re in your own world and not stuck thinking “Why am I paying this much just to get to work?”

Paul Chappell, London

They neglected repairs to make massive profits and then put the prices up. Most people stopped using them because of the price. Lower prices get more customers.

Patrick Fenlon, Chester

Trains for people not private profit.

John Doughty, Nottingham

It was not theirs to sell in the first place. It was ours, the British public’s.

Alan Bullett, Huddersfield

I’m sick to death of Tory-inspired rip-offs.

Mazhar Asghar, Leeds

All vital public services such as energy, water, transport, postal services, education and health have no place being run for profit by tax-dodging multinationals.

Ken Brodigan

I quite agree, a not-for-profit set-up for the railway – a proven success with the East Coast railway. Privatisation was a very hurried piece of legislation.

Richard Kemp-Salt, Brightlingsea

I believe in a publicly owned rail network. Railways are the arteries on which our lives depend. We should own them.

John Mapplebeck, Bamburgh