Now renationalise all of our railways

■ Sajid Javid has indicated that the eye-wateringly expensive HS2 should proceed. This follows news he has written to all members of the Cabinet asking them to find savings from their budgets to help pay for it.

If we were expecting improvements for social care, schools, roads and policing it sounds as though we can forget it for the next 20 years or more while we all pay for a new railway line to London.

Long-suffering commuters using cross-country and local services in the North will have the satisfaction of knowing their sacrifices will enable a select section of travellers to be whisked to the capital a few minutes quicker. HS2, paid for by the many for the benefit of the few. Graham Heasman, Newton, Derbys

■ The Government is spending billions on HS2 at the cost of people losing their homes and businesses, all so business people can travel to and from London a few minutes faster. In my view, it should not go ahead. Instead, the lines and stations which were abandoned years ago under Beeching’s rail cuts should be re-opened to give greater connectivity to those who feel cut off from the rest of the country because of poor public transport links. Money must also be spent on existing railway lines which are not fit for purpose. NJ Blake, Norwich

■ It is a shame it has taken so long for the Government to strip Northern Rail, run by Arriva, of a franchise which has been failing for years. How many families like mine have struggled to get to work on time and then tried to get back in time to pick up their children from school or child care because of the incompetence of this company and their sheer greed? The environment too is suffering as they continue to use diesel trains instead of electrifying the old lines. Lin Francis, Totton, Hants

■ Northern Rail, which operates around the Manchester area, is an absolute disgrace with passengers enduring years of late-running trains and cancelled services. This didn’t happen nearly as much in the days of British Rail, of which I am a former employee. Rail firmsput up fares regularly, yet don’t provide the service that’s expected of them by long-suffering passengers. It makes sense that Northern Rail is to be brought back into public hands and while they’re at it the Government can renationalise the rest of the rail network. Dave Mellor, Warrington

■ Every Government since the Second World War has failed to properly fund the railways. Ernest Marples was a Conservative pro-road Transport Minister who followed Dr Beeching’s advice to cut the number of branch lines, while Wilson’s Labour governments did nothing to reverse these shortsighted cuts. We would all like to be like countries where nationalised railways run well, but are we prepared to pay the higher taxes to fund them? Alan Gordon, Coldstream Scottish Borders

■ Tory Transport Minister Grant Shapps is an ideological Conservative opposed to nationalisation. It must gall him that the Government has had to bring failed Northern Rail back under public control. Derek McMillan, Durrington West Sussex

■ So, the Government is to take control of crisis-hit Northern Rail. No doubt it will be beefed up, revamped and, when strong and made profitable, sold off again. The Tories have done this before. Gerry Scales, South East London