Railway in Japan apologises after train leaves 20 seconds early

A private railway operator in Japan has apologised after a train left a station in a Tokyo suburb 20 seconds ahead of schedule.

The morning train on the Tsukuba Express line arrived at the Minami-Nagareyama station at its scheduled time of 40 seconds past 9.43 am on Tuesday. It was scheduled to leave one minute later, at 40 seconds past 9.44 am, but instead left at 9:44:20.

According to media reports most passengers did not notice anything amiss when the train pulled away from the station a little ahead of time, but the private operator believed the matter was serious enough to issue an apology.

“On November 14, at approximately 9.44 am, a northbound Metropolitan Intercity Railway Company…train left Minami Nagareyama Station roughly 20 seconds earlier than the time indicated on the timetable. We deeply apologise for the severe inconvenience imposed upon our customers,” the operator said in a statement in Japanese that was translated by Sora News 24.

The company apologised even though it hadn’t received any complaints from passengers who were at the station, it said. The statement added that the train’s crew had been spoken to and instructed to strictly follow procedures to prevent such incidents in future.