Caroline with speakers from the First Capital Connect public meeting (left to right): Tim Robinson, Network Rail's route director for the Sussex region; Jackie Townsend, Director of Operations, FCC; Caroline; David Statham, Managing Director, FCC

As you may have seen from my Twitter feed last weekend, the rail company First Capital Connect has posted answers to questions put to me by some who couldn’t make the recent public meeting.

The questions via Twitter continued this week and I hope that all those I’ve put in touch with First Capital Connect have had responses.

I know that many of the issues raised in relation to First Capital Connect are important to people across Brighton & Hove.

I also know that there are many questions that remain unresolved, especially when it comes to reliability and value for money.

I was at Brighton station again this week collecting signatures for my Parliamentary petition and, again, heard concerns over the high cost of travel and the quality of services.

One way to make train travel more affordable is via part-time season tickets, so I’ve written to Transport Minister Norman Baker asking that the Brighton to London line be used as the pilot for plans to introduce a part-time ticketing scheme.

The current system is utterly unfair on anyone who commutes less than five days a week, many of whom are part-time workers, often with childcare commitments.

As I'm out and about in Brighton Pavilion, I’ve been talking to people about what a rail service should be? Should it be a public service or should it be run primarily for profit?

Currently it’s the latter, with an estimated 90% of train operating companies’ profits turned over to shareholders, despite rail services being subsidised to a greater level than in the days of British Rail.

The transport workers’ union the RMT also points out that between 2006 and 2011 First Capital Connect paid no Corporation Tax.

I would argue that there is a strong case for public money to go directly into rail services - improving facilities and bringing down the cost of tickets – and will be pursuing this through a Private Member’s Bill, which is currently before Parliament.

This calls on the Government to gradually return the railways from their now fragmented and complex state back into public ownership.

The only way to sort out the mess and waste, the rising fares and overcrowding and the rest, is for the state to take back control of the railways.

It’s that simple and long overdue.