East Coast main line is brilliant under public ownership.

Howard Davies, Nottingham

By improving the current rail system, fewer people will be tempted to use cars for longer journeys which would make the environment more sustainable.

Mike Stevens, Lancaster

Railways should be run for the good of the people and not exist to line shareholders’ pockets.

Norman Horton, Darlington

The British Railways Board ran an excellent train service. These private companies are useless, typical Tory crap. So bring back British Rail.

Colin Flowerday, Holt

The sooner the better.

Sheelagh Nash, Dumfries

The train prices are disgraceful for the poor quality we receive. In Europe you’d secure luxury first-class with service accommodation for the equivalent costs.

June Diamanti, Tyne and Wear

I’ve just returned from train travel through France, Italy and Switzerland and Eurostar. I then went from Paddington to Newton Abbot by First Great Western – oh dear, shameful.

John Tucker, Brixham

The way the railways are run is not run for the public and the staff, it’s for profit. Safety and public no longer matter. Bring back British Rail.

Carol Wood, Coulsdon

Rail travel has never been the same since we lost BR.

Louise Sumner, Leyland

The current service is awful and always rising the cost even when inflation is nullified. All they care about is profit and filling up the shareholders’ pockets.

Premkumar Ramayen, Woking

Safety and efficiency before profit.

Viv Owen, Bradford

Privatisation has been an unmitigated disaster.

Duncan Harris, Melton Mowbray

UK trains are over-priced, inefficient and well behind in technology.

Luke Dickens, Manchester

I lived in SE London for a long and happy time and used BR quite a lot on the way into town. Never was I late or felt unsafe. Privatising is a huge mistake. British Rail forever.

Ant

Currently there is no competition. I cannot choose which company I use to provide my rail service, so how has privatisation improved customer service?

Richard Green, Newton Abbot

Privatisation has left us with a less safe, far more expensive train service.

Peter Benson, Grays

Services were much better and cheaper under BR.

Derrick Martin, Hornchurch

Our railways are a national disgrace. Put them back in the hands of British Rail and make the government responsible for running it.

Nick Ingram, Newhaven

I’m sick of poor service and profits going to shareholders not back into the service.

Paul Pennington Marshall, Brighton

Privatisation of the railways has proved to be as ridiculous and impracticable a notion as it always appeared. It’s time to go back to common sense.

Jim McClew, Washington

Bring back the utility companies into public ownership too.

Caryl Hughes, Stockport

Private companies have had long enough to get things right. They receive subsidies for below-par service and vast profits. They should put money back into the rail industry.

Paul Doherty, Leeds

Too expensive for such an unreliable service. The new increase is an absolute joke from out-of-touch people with no experience of the service.

Hannah Holroyd, Colchester

All East Anglian train licensees have been a dirty, late, packed-trains nightmare for years. Re-nationalisation is the only answer, and re-open branch lines.

Chris Mills, Ipswich

We need a single publicly owned railway not only on its own merit but to end the use of fossil fuels both directly and in electricity generation for our trains.

Ian Malcolm-Walker, Poole

Privately-owned and operated railways do not put the passengers first. Re-nationalise now.

Robert Hicks, Hardwicke

Transport should not be privatised. Look at the mess it has become when accountability is to shareholders instead of to passengers.

K Dietz, Dunbar

It should have been taken back into public ownership years ago.

Ann Newton-Marcial, Eastbourne

We need a rail system that looks after the public, not share holders as at present.

Allan Precious, Billingham

Virtually all privatised rail profits have gone to shareholders. Very little re-investment. Such as it has been, it is the British taxpayer who supplied it.

Peter Little, Durham