Japan’s train apology will leave you scratching your head

For those of us who have ever caught a train during peak hour will know the struggle of a train not arriving on time, so the thought of a Japanese railway company apologising to customers after a train departed a mere 20 seconds early will likely have you in stitches.

A train leaving Minami Nagareyama railway station on Tuesday was supposed to leave at 9.44.40 but in fact left at 9.44.20, which warranted a formal apology issued by the railway company.

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“I closed the door without checking the departure time sufficiently and departed at 9.44.20,” the statement read.

“We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience caused to you our customers.”

Punctuality by Japanese railway companies is considered a very high priority and when a train is late, even by mere minutes, slips of paper that explain the inconvenience are often passed out at the station.

This need for punctuality springs from the fierce competition that exists between railway companies in Japan. There are 16 private railways in Japan and many routes are serviced by at least two operators, so if something were to go wrong with one company, a passenger could easily become a competitor’s customer. 

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Japan’s railway network is made up of almost 200km of track across 13 lines and close to 300 stations, with some lines providing trains every two-to-three minutes during peak times. 

Think about that the next time you find yourself waiting for a train during peak hour.