I hope people understand that the only reason for continued existence of the privatised railway, is to make a small number of men extremely wealthy.

Hector, Cheshire

No more franchises.

John Mathew, Manchester

We should be called travellers not customers and the railways should be run for the benefit of us all, not just for shareholders.

Daphne Hibberd-Franks, Leeds

Re-privatisation has been an absolute Tory failure, with only ScotRail and Chiltern Railways doing any good.

Claire Calder, Norfolk

East Coast is making money and is feeding that money into Treasury coffers. Why not take back the whole network and make it work for the country, not the money grabbers?

Allan Orrick, Prudhoe

Privatisation hasn’t worked for the travelling public. Politicians, their friends, corporate bodies, the City etc. have profited from privatisation. It’s a public service.

Robert Harper, Nottingham

Prices are disgusting nowadays, even with my Railcard. Southern Rail are selfish and don’t care about their customers.

Jessica Oliver, Bognor Regis

This week’s announcement that the East Coast rail network has returned £1billion to the taxpayers’ purse should be a nail in the coffin for the madness of privatisation.

James York, Edinburgh

East Coast proves it. It’s in profit, so why not nationalise the lot and put the profits back into public hands.

Thomas Ansley, Rotherham

Private companies will never give us a proper 21st century railway system. This is a national strategic and economic asset, while private is short-term profit-obsessed only.

P J Casey, Nelson

I want the labour Party to put this in the general election manifesto and then, when elected, do it!

Tony Jones, Reading

Thatcher and Major sold off the country’s assets and it’s time to get them back.

Barry Hague, Derby

Public transport should be just that – owned by the public. It’s the same with all the utilities. They’re fundamental to the country, should not be privately owned.

Karen Bell, Leicester

We need to take public services back for the public from the private profiteers. Private finance initiative is really profit-for-the-few initiative.

Richard Kent, Chard

The private sector can work side by side with national rail service but privatising everything in this country means we are selling our country.

Ali Kheradnejad, Nuneaton

A brilliant idea – all strength to your arm. Our railways are a disaster.

Bryon Bache, Cambridge

Our railways should be owned and run by the state for the people and not to profit already wealthy companies and their boards.

Diana Harmer, Shrewsbury

Nationalise the railways again. The service is terrible.

Daniel Adesen, London

Stop bleeding money to overseas rail companies and use profits to make fares cheaper and the service better.

Sergio Seelochan, Nottingham

Just as we have seen in the privatised bus industry, services are run solely for the benefit of the shareholders, with little regard for passengers or employees.

Graeme Payne, South Shields

why on earth did the Tories sell off the East Coast main line except for political dogma and to line the pockets of their cronies?

Alexander Hedley, Newcastle-upon-Tyne

Our country deserves a national rail service, subsidised as necessary from the taxes I pay – a good use of my money.

Chrissie Chadney, St Albans

It is so very expensive to go by train in this country compared with Europe and the USA. it is subsidised in those countries and so cheap to travel anywhere.

Anne Wren, Sale

We have a rubbish railway system unworthy of a great country – which invented railways! And all thanks to grossly incompetent and dogma-driven Tory policies and practice.

Dr A R Greenway, Teddington

If the French and German state rail companies think it’s a good idea to run Britain’s railways then why don’t we?

Richard Wetherell, London

Everybody, and the environment, benefits from an affordable, dependable and comprehensive public transport system. It should not be run for private profit.

Ian Fraser, Harrogate

Joined-up, efficient, nationalised services as opposed to fragmented, expensive, private services.

Chris Horne, Ely

I hate this crappy rail system we have. Something needs to change.

Andrew Roberts, Warrington

Bring service industries back to their natural home – the public sector.

Mike Campbell, Durham