I currently work for LNER and if you kindly allow me a couple of thoughts..
It is the same Management by and large but so far they have calmed down the rhetoric and seem to be more focused on the basics, they are perhaps not under as much pressure as they were under VTEC days and the turning up for the opening of an envelope has calmed down with the exception of the new Azuma services which to me is fair enough.
There are rumours of additional services including more Aberdeens ( not sure if that is signalling related or XC related) and as previously noted possibly a new Stirling or as I heard it Perth service starting from 2021. This is speculation for clarity.
Without going into the nationalisation etc debate and the fact I can’t speak from a customer point of view it has to be said what the staff have asked for is stability, there has been a lot of change over last 20 years and not all for the best. We for most part do our upmost to offer a great service and want to get back to a great atmosphere which I think is slowly coming back, giving someone else the keys quite quickly would in my opinion be a backward step at this time..
Just a few thoughts from the inside and I hope we are left alone to get on with th job.
Cheers