There was some early speculation that the McNulty value-for-money review into Britain’s railways would not deliver. Could he suggest a Beeching-style cut of the rural lines? Would he do enough to appease commuters fed up with getting increasingly familiar with other passengers’ armpits? What about ignoring pleas to simplify rail fare structures?

It seems Sir Roy McNulty has done none of those things, instead putting forward what appear to be a number of very reasonable proposals geared towards helping the passenger get the most out of the rail network and balancing fares at different times of the day more sensibly.

Thankfully, while suggesting Network Rail works more closely with the operators (hardly an earth-shattering suggestion when put like that – obviously he includes rather more detail), he has not given into the temptation to call for a wholesale reorganisation of the industry, its regulators, or its structures. This would have been an expensive folly, far too reminiscent of the Major and Blair years.

The devil is always in the detail, and it is now down to the TOCs to respond in kind, but it does look as though the current renaissance of Britain’s railways could continue with these recommendations – if the industry can meet the “enormous challenge” that McNulty has set.

Of course, having FirstGroup’s Tim O’Toole as head of a new Rail Delivery Group might raise eyebrows given the announcement this week that the Great Western train operator is to pull out of its franchise three years earlier than it needed to, thus saving itself more than £800 million it was due to pay the Treasury.