Tokyo's train company apologises for 20 second early departure

Japanese management on the Tsukuba Express line between Tokyo and the city of Tsukuba stated that they "sincerely apologise for the inconvenience"

Image representational: AFP/File

New Delhi: Every now and then we hear stories on the punctuality, speed, and cleanness of the Japanese trains but very recently, a rail company in Japan apologized after one of its trains departed just 20 seconds early. Unlike India where late arrival of train is an everyday occurrence, Japanese management on the Tsukuba Express line between Tokyo and the city of Tsukuba said that they "sincerely apologise for the inconvenience" The incident occurred on 14 November when train 5255 arrived at Minamiyukariyama Station at its scheduled time 9:43:40. After the crewman handled the passengers on board after opening the door, the doors of the train were closed without checking the departure time sufficiently. The train departed at 9:44:20 which was just 20 seconds more than the scheduled time. Though there was no complaint of any passenger not being able to get on the train, still the Tokyo train company published an apology on the website.