Saving our railways

SIR – The problems that our railway system is experiencing are due to the structure created when British Rail was split up for privatisation. This was the result of a misguided EU directive that did not allow for a vertically integrated railway company.

To resolve these problems there needs to be overall operating control of all aspects of the railway. The best way to achieve this would be by splitting the railway system into regional companies; this is how it was before nationalisation. These regions need to be integrated so that one company owns and manages all the rolling stock, buildings, track and other services necessary, with one board of directors and one general manager.

The only other option, sadly, would be to renationalise the system, creating one large company split into vertically integrated regions. I would not like to see this happen, as the cost and political ramifications would make it prohibitively expensive. E W Lawrence

Woolwell, Devon