How often do you hear public transport authorities issuing an apology for causing inconvenience? Well, we have all been in the situation numerous times, when we reached late to office because our train or metro got late and never heard from any authority. But in Japan, a rail company has apologised after one of its trains the Tsukuba Express departed 20 seconds early. Yes, you read it right and the news has taken everyone by surprise causing a frenzy online.
The operator of a private railway firm that serves the Tokyo suburbs, has issued an apology after the trains departed only a few seconds early. Passengers boarding the train from Minami Nagareyama station were unaware anything was awry when the train, which had arrived on time, pulled away from the platform at 9.44.20 am instead of 9.44.40 am. But the management felt it wrong for the passengers who might have made the train had it left on time.
“We deeply apologise for the severe inconvenience imposed upon our customers,” the Metropolitan Intercity Railway Company said in a statement. The mistake for November 14 goof up was because staff had not checked the timetable, the company statement said. “The crew did not sufficiently check the departure time and performed the departure operation,” it added.
If you are wondering about the time for the next train, it arrived only four minutes later. Thinking of moving your base to Japan, yes, many others online are feeling the same way. Many started comparing the services with trains operating in their own country and it was not a positive one.
In terms of infrastructure, the story about Japan’s train network apologising for a train that left 20 seconds early showed how far we’ve fallen behind.#bbcqt
— Keith Williams (@ScribblerKeith) November 16, 2017
Hearing the story of the train company in Japan apologising for a train leaving 20 seconds early makes me feel ashamed just how bad trains are in London.
— Remy (@RemyHoggard) November 16, 2017
Something to read while waiting for your Metro Line LRT train. https://t.co/k7rAWwfY1e
— Bill Mah (@MahSpace) November 16, 2017
In Japan, train is 20 seconds off schedule. Apology. Toronto, TTC forty-five minutes late.. Regularly scheduled service. #torontoproblems
— Emily Higgins (@ehiggins) November 16, 2017
This is an alternate universe: “On the bright side, anyone who missed the 9:44 a.m. Tsukuba Express because of the 20-second premature departure would have had to wait just four minutes for the next northbound train, according to the line’s timetable.” https://t.co/7j3cbA5ynR
— Martin Kelley (@martin_kelley) November 17, 2017
“Apology after Japanese train departs 20 seconds early”.
Read; weep; read; laugh. @networkrail @SW_Railway @SouthernRailUK— Alastair Stewart (@alstewitn) November 16, 2017
Don’t think this will be an apology @SW_Railway or any other train company in the UK will ever have to make!https://t.co/TgZfyVFayL
— Will Forster (@WillForster) November 16, 2017
Seriously waited an hour for two @metlinkwgtn buses to not turn up this morning. This is incred https://t.co/tTeXW6ggcr
— Emily Cooper (@em_cooper23) November 17, 2017
Tokyo train company’s apology for 20-second-early departure is one of the best things about Japan
https://t.co/QBf2kzEaMg pic.twitter.com/wWgU1d4pUN
— Ben Owen 🇺🇸 (@hrkbenowen) November 17, 2017
This shows they truly care about their customers.
— Ray (@RayAZpoli) November 17, 2017
Why I miss Japanese trains. Especially Tsukuba Express!!https://t.co/taQFQ9h86q
— ヌヌミ (@Nunumi) November 17, 2017
In Japan the train arrives 20 seconds earlier and there’s a heartfelt apology. In Malaysia, the KTM only comes the next day and there is no apology.
— Mark™ (@MG92_2) November 17, 2017
Don’t renationalise the railways. Get #Japan to run them instead. Japanese rail company apologises after train leaves 20 seconds early. Operator ‘deeply’ sorry for inconvenience to passengers after the 9.44.40am Tsukuba Express pulled away at 9.44.20am. https://t.co/JJf928Iat2 pic.twitter.com/WnDpfXd0nF
— Devra (@DevraWiz) November 17, 2017
“The Metropolitan Intercity Railway Co posted an apology when Tsukuba Express train left Minami-Nagareyama station at 9.44:20 AM, instead of 9.44:40 AM as scheduled.”
Meanwhile I am running 15 minutes late on average. @T1SydneyTrains @T2SydneyTrains @TrainsInfo #SydneyTrains
— Ibrahim Faisal 🇧🇩 (@ikfaisal) November 17, 2017
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Japan is known for its punctuality, in fact, on days when trains do actually get delayed, the authorities issue a certificate stating the reason so that one can produce it before their employer as an evidence.
