Few industries were impacted as deeply by the Covid pandemic three years ago as much as Britain's railways - including Greater Anglia.

The number of passengers fell off a cliff in March 2020 and while many have now returned, the fact is that the main revenue-stream for most companies - the daily commuter - is still well below its pre-pandemic numbers.

And without that guaranteed revenue scheme the structure of the industry that has operated since the late 1990s was simply unsustainable.

That was recognised by the government in the autumn of 2020. It announced the end of the franchise system and in a typically Johnsonian flourish we were told that Great British Railways is on the way.

Since early 2021, however, little has been heard on the subject. The franchise holders are continuing to run services - supported by hundreds of millions of pounds of support from the taxpayers Great British Railways still hasn't happened.

There have been reports that the idea for that died with the removal of Mr Johnson, but new weekend leaks suggested it might be resurrected this week.

But in the end all we got was a "let's carry out a trial" announcement which effectively kicks any decision well down the road - almost certainly beyond the date of the next general election.

And who expects us to still have a Conservative Transport Secretary after that?

It's not difficult to see why the government is having so much difficulty in making a decision.

The British love their trains - or at least they love the idea of trains - but they also hate them when they don't work well: when they're late, cancelled, or overcrowded.

And for the last nine months the UK rail industry has been brought to its knees by strike action - action which neither the unions nor the government appear to want to resolve.

Because make no mistake. This is a dispute between the rail unions and the government which holds the purse strings for the rail industry. 

Suggestions by Grant Shapps in the early days that it was just down to Network Rail and private sector companies was downright disingenuous and merely served to pour petrol on the flames of the dispute.

To be fair to new Transport Secretary Mark Harper, he has accepted the government is the key party in this dispute - but of course he isn't really in a position to negotiate without the say-so of Chancellor Jeremy Hunt and PM Rishi Sunak.

The fact is that the dispute on the rail network is a government issue.

Having said that the unions do seem to be blind to the changes that have happened over recent years - and the danger the industry and their members' jobs are in.

Over the last 25 years the rail industry has seen passenger numbers rising and has more or less accepted many of the negotiations with its staff - and has crucially failed to address many anomalies that have arisen.

Modern trains don't need guards to operate doors. Automatic doors controlled from the drivers' cab with CCTV cameras and sensors to tell if they are shut properly are far safer than the eyes of a guard who may have to check all the doors on a long train.

But guards (or conductors if you prefer) do have a crucial role in checking tickets and interacting with passengers. All sides really do need to accept that change is necessary in the 21st century.

But right now the unions and government aren't talking. No one can make plans to travel by train more than a fortnight in advance because of the fear of strikes.

And ultimately any decisions on the future of the industry are being put off for as long as possible!