Shall we try to be sensible? I would hope for better industrial relations under a different leader. However, sorting out terms and conditions is so much harder than many here will admit.
Infrastructure spending on the scale required to fix the issues under debate in, say, Manchester can only come from central government. That would be the central government many will now feel need to "reward" northern voters for voting Tory in the recent election. Lets see if they do.
Why do you think IR are a function of the company? How many TOCs from SWR to MR find themselves variously in industrial action over the role of the Guard?
How many strikes do we see on state run LUL?
How many TOCs have managed to get Sunday in the working week?
Who runs Northern, state or private and whether is broken up, merged back into TPE or rebranded as L&Y is neither here nor there.
The management of human resources is one key factor and at the moment the incredibly restrictive practices prevent anyone making a good job of it.
The unions are too powerful, the agreements too restrictive and said unions are too willing and able to use the passenger and local economy as bargaining chips in their political and industrial warfare.
Infrastructure, I am against wasting yet more money on palliative interventions the Piccadilly / Deansgate corridor that simply move the same congestion to the next junction. Short term there need to be considerably fewer and longer trains.
Longer term I think you need a tunnel to allow access from Bolton / Huddersfield to the Airport without creating serial flat junction conflicts. HS2 shows the sort of ambition needed with their Airport - Ardwick affair, just it is in the wrong place.