Is there something I’m missing about this proposal? I struggle to believe that I’m the only one who’s read or even heard of it, though I suppose it was released at the height of the pandemic, so probably escaped media attention.
Re-reading the 2020 document, it comes over as Andy McDonald's* personal view of rail reorganisation, with an Ian Taylor largely credited for the detail.
There was also an earlier union-sponsored study along similar lines.
There are several elephants in the room which have emerged since 2020.
The first is financing of the rail industry, with the current model broken and a shortfall of a couple of billion a year in rail funding.
Second is the way TOC contracts are now let (NRCs), and the retreat of foreign involvement (the exit of NS and DB from TOC contracts).
Third is the political changes to do with post-Brexit/Covid/Ukraine economic woes, high inflation/taxes etc and the general crisis in public services.
Fourth would be the recent cancellation of HS2 beyond phase 1, and "Network North".
The current Labour leadership is understandably very cautious about making funding commitments, and intends to stay within the Tory government spending limits for its first parliament (as Gordon Brown did post-1997).
So the scope for radical change is less than Andy McDonald's blue sky approach.
Kier Starmer also wants to be business-friendly, and cancelling private sector involvement in rail is not the way to do that.
Even Andy Burnham is proposing to franchise out Greater Manchester's bus services to the private sector, as happens in London.
The key Labour personalities at the moment (with Starmer) are Rachel Reeves (Shadow Chancellor) and Louise Haigh (Shadow Transport SoS).
I don't envy their challenge in making sense of the rail brief when they start work, and there's time for the Tories to make further irreversible changes in the next year.
I doubt the DfT will be given funds and scope to implement the 2020 proposals.
* Andy McDonald was Shadow Transport SoS in Jeremy Corbyn's shadow cabinet, 2016-20.