• DANIEL Powell’s letter on rail nationalisation misses the point entirely (Take EU exit route to renationalise rail, February 9).

It is not contrary to EU law or policy (including the Fourth Railway Package) to have a state-owned railway. The proof of that lies in the fact that various EU states have them.

Two, Germany and Italy, have also opened their domestic passenger services to private sector operators. They have confidence in doing that because private sector operators are no threat to state-owned operators unless the latter are going to be run inefficiently and against the interests of the public.

But that’s not why the British public is in favour of rail nationalisation. The EU just wants rail passengers to get the best service. It has no ideological view as to how that is provided.

PAUL LASOK
Ellington Street, N7