Privatisation has cost the taxpayer far more than BR would have done.

Nick Sadler, Bristol

I am old enough to remember the good old days of BR when we all knew what the fares were without going through different web sites and companies.

Barry Woodcock, Kettering

Prices are not justified by service (or distances), nor are the yearly over the odds increases.

Kuba Borucki, London

A fully integrated rail system – serving the whole of the country – can only be achieved with state control and ownership.

Joyce Moore, Leicester

It’s scandalous that the Scottish railway has been sold to the Dutch national rail. Give our railways back to the people.

Ben Carlin, Falkirk

UK trains are a shambles compared to the rest of Europe.

Akit, London

This is the best idea I have come across in a long time. I’m tired of being grumpy about the ups and downs of so many different companies on the railroad. Bring it back.

Lucy Neal, London

Privatisation can only work within the context of customer choice. Rail companies are not forced to improve performance or value, because they monopolise the railway infrastructure in the UK.

Peter Kasim, London

My late father worked for BR and Rail Track and always moaned about how bad things had got after the take over, about penny-pinching mend-and-make-do and poor management.

Leslie Holder, Reading

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

David Smith, Stourbridge

No spam please.

Richard Miller, London

Public transport must be taken back into public hands. We are paying above and beyond for a poor service. The service is heavily subsidised with high ticket charges.

Daniel Moorcroft, Bolton

They should never have been privatised in the first place.

Thomas Edwin Eddleston, Oldham

Train travel is now prohibitively expensive. Smaller stations are not serviced, meaning that only wealthy people who live in well-connected places can use it.

Hannah Straw, Nottingham

If we get British Rail back, can we have it red please?

Alistair Redman-Bayasi, Sheffield

Travel with British Rail was easy. There were occasional problems but it was much better.

Susan Fulbrook, Worksop

The sooner the better.

Chris Henwood, Brighton

The railways are and always were a public service, not an opportunity for profiteering at the public’s expense.

Peter Flack, Leicester

Renationalise the railways for the benefit of passengers, employees, and the public now.

Phillip Derisi, London

I can’t believe people think these companies want to put money into the system. They all want to take it out and that’s Tory policy.

Bob Hawkes, Romford

Nationalised East coast line costs taxpayers less to run than the privatised lines. Stop companies lining their pockets with our money.

Diane Cawood, Manchester

Imagine BR with the amount of funding all these companies get and the only compensation payments were to end users not the paper excuses we have now.

Michael Jones, Shrewsbury

What a waste. Bring back BR who ran a service for the people not the shareholders or franchises.

Alan Cole, Oxted

End the present shambles now.

Mike Keedwell, Chelmsford

The railway companies have for too long been allowed to treat passengers as dupes to fund the managers’ high salaries, and their bonuses, and shareholders.

Audrey Walsh., Portsmouth

I can barely afford to commute to work any more. The service is never on time and of appalling quality.

Hannah Birkett

End these ridiculous disparities – its Victorian.

Bill Moir, Durham

It is disgusting that through political ideology only our rail network has been sold off. The East Coast rail route should be kept in public ownership to benefit us all

Jane Clifton, Leeds