Why not carry out a poll of the East Coast line commuters. Their view should be fairly conclusive.

Jack Butterworth, Harrogate

I lived in the U.K. from 1971 to 1988 and still miss British Rail every time I am back in the country on a visit. I hope you’re successful, but it will be a long road.

Barrie Pederson, Toronto

You know it makes sense.

Stuart Holden, Nottingham

Let’s have a railway service that serves stakeholders not shareholders.

Mike Nevill, Worthing

Let’s have a decent rail service back.

Christopher Smith, Penzance

Stop privatising and franchising everything. Transport should be for the people, not shareholders.

Simon Templar, London

My granddad would be turning in his grave. He was a BR worker, when BR was British, and was a career choice, with a decent pension.

Angela Sandford, Ipswich

All part of the Tory attempt to put all public services in private hands. Re-nationalise all public utilities as soon as possible.

Karen Nadin, Newark

There is no continuity and the passenger could end up worse off. People end up sitting in booked seats not allocated to them and the trains are overcrowded.

Jackie Stockman, Brixham

Since privatisation the service has become dreadful. Prices have risen and we don’t have the safety measures expected of a public body.

Ajay Nuseibeh, Hastings

Please bring back the concept of public service to British society.

Maurice James, St Albans

Transport is the business of us all and should not have been stolen for the sole benefit of shareholders.

Douglas Cook, Penzance

All the evidence shows utilities should not be run for profit.

Ian Latham, Doncaster

I believe that all public transport, electricity, gas, and water should be re-nationalised for the benefit of the consumers.

David Frost, Sunderland.

People should be encouraged to use public transport systems, if we are to reduce CO2 emissions and combat climate change ever. But fares in my area are ridiculous.

Jade Tarsnane, Kidwelly

Of course the railways should be publically owned.

Stephen Baker, Bournemouth

Listen to the public. This has gone on for long enough.

Andy Moore, Penzance

It’s time to end privatisation. As each franchise ends, return it to a public run railway at no cost to taxpayers.

David Zipfell, King’s Lynn

Railways are an essential service and should be run as a not-for-profit organisation with prices set by the government.

Paul Adkins, Fleet

Deliver good and affordable service so that everyone could benefit.

Irina Ozerkina, London

They should never have been privatised in the first place. But beware of legislation that would globally prevent this.

Mel Thomas, Blaenau Ffestiniog

Oh, please. Anything but Southeastern.

Adrian Challinor, London

People before profit’ says it all. Rail network is crucial for the nation on so many different levels. We can’t leave it up to companies whose only concern is the bottom line.

Sarah Dewing, Epsom

It shouldn’t cost £50 for a student to go home and visit his family.

Emma Brown, London

There is no need for the profit motive in the rail industry, but a socially-owned network cannot return to the pre-90s. We can learn from the privatisation experiment.

Stephen Smith, Hawick

I used to work for BR at Reading, loved every minute of it then they privatised it and it lost its attraction.

Chris Uren, Bracknell

Public services should be nationalised.

Richard Antonel, London

Save the country a fortune, do it now.

William Boyle, Glasgow

End the shambles of multiple operators with different prices.

Simon Westfield, Bedford

Sort it out,eh?

Gordon Sloss, Basildon