This needs to happen sooner rather than later. Current Train Operating Companies are draining the government and the passengers.

Kris Douglas, Stoke-on-Trent

Stop the chaos and fare rises. Re-unite!

Chris Busby, Crawley

At my station, there is no assistance, no plants and no-one who can advise what is happening at any given time.

James

Please can we get things joined up again. I am fed up with a rail network using different operators and shopped out maintenance. It was better before.

Kathryn Read, Nottingham

A national asset, which is for every citizen’s benefit, should belong to the nation, aiming to break even.

Ian Henden, Fareham

All rail revenues above cost should go back into the rail network, not fat cats’ pockets.

J Taylor, Swansea

The railways should be one organisation, not many small companies. Why should we put public money into private hands?

Ian Hutchings, Newark

Isn’t it illegal to privatise public transport?

Arkhenatan Dot Com, Sydenham

Far be it that the operation of the rail network should cease to be a joke. It could at least be a slightly less expensive joke.

Oliver French, Bristol

Bring back British Rail to keep fares down with profit going back into the railway and not to shareholders.

Peter Neal, Romford

The price of rail travel in this country, compared to any other in the world, is utterly extortionate and we don’t even get a decent service for our money.

Simon Evans, Bristol

State ownership of railways is much more efficient, as shown by the massive improvements all round when some franchises have been briefly state run recently.

John Thompson, London

It is obscene that Government revenue support to train operating companies goes directly to shareholder pockets, instead of being invested in the service.

Michael Denholm, Dunbar

Southwest Trains are horrible.

Timi Horwell, London

For too long we have trusted private companies to improve essential services, and instead we are seeing few improvements but ever-increasing bills.

Lesley Mais, Leeds

Since British Rail disappeared we’ve had more trouble on rail – lines are not kept to the same high standard, and why is public money being used to prop it up?

Avril Coleman, Siddington

Private interests should not profit from national infrastructure or a national service or a national utility at the expense of the public.

Edward Freeman, Dundee

Great Western Railways takes the mickey with its prices

Lewis Warner-Jones, Maidenhead

Transport for people, not profit.

Caroline Taylor-Martin, Bromley

I say bring back British Rail because all the private companies are robbing everyone – from those who work on the railway to the passengers.

John Taylor

This is a no-brainer. The reasons for re-nationalisation far outweigh the crass commercial arguments for private ownership, especially since that is mostly foreign.

David Tyler, Abergavenny

The privatised system doesn’t work. Nightmare pricing, poor service.

Barbara Hastings, Nottingham

Privatisation has made our railway one of the most expensive in Europe per passenger mile. It’s been a disaster.

Anthony Stanton, Cambridge

More is being paid out in profits and share dividends than was previously invested in the railway.

John Wood, Sheffield

This is so obvious it hurts.

Ian Cumpstey, Penrith

The people of this country spent decades building our public infrastructures, funding them with taxpayer money, only to have them sold off at a fraction of their worth.

Ben Guest, Winsford

It was much better when it was British Rail.

Clive Rider, Erith

They should never have been privatised. The railway has been in decline ever since.

Dave Huxham, Leeds