Reality Check: When is a train on time?
A Japanese railway company made headlines after it apologised for sending a train off 20 seconds early.
The idea of “deeply apologising” for the “severe inconvenience” of a lost 20 seconds seemed almost alien to commuters who have to put up with much greater disruption in other countries. Report Report Report In Japan, the average high speed bullet train arrives at its final stop just 54 seconds behind schedule, and that includes delays caused by uncontrollable factors such as natural disasters. If a Japanese train is five minutes late or more, its passengers are issued with a certificate. They can show this to their boss or teacher as an excuse for being late. But what if other countries’ rail networks wanted to… Continue Reading