Posted on 11/18/2018 10:21:35 AM PST by Simon Green
In case anyone’s forgotten that Japan works very differently from most other places, a train company made a public apology this week after a train left the station 25 seconds early.
The world fell apart when the train conductor, who thought his train was scheduled to leave Notogawa Station on Friday at 7:11, closed his commuter train doors one minute early, pulling out of the station 25 seconds ahead of the actual scheduled time of 7:12. The conductor realized his mistake before departing but didn’t see any waiting passengers on the platform, so he carried on with his early departure — and his error.
Unfortunately, he was wrong about the passengers — there were people who still wanted to get on. They complained to the rail operator, JR West, which offered an official apology shortly after.
This was the second incident involving over-zealous departure times in recent history, and the operator admitted that the “great inconvenience we placed upon our customers was truly inexcusable”.
If only the MTA would take a page from JR West’s book.
Don’t really see why a conductor would do this.
It’s freaking the Biwako line so there’s no rush.
I wonder if this guy is available for ballot count deadlines?
Can their operators transfer over to our side?
LOL
He has dishonored his family.
Last time I was in Japan was about 20 years ago.To those who’ve never been there I can guarantee that you *can* set your watch by the Tokyo Subway system’s schedule.
If your early.....you got a ride.
If you’re not at the Station when the Train pulls out? , - get the next one.
Japan’s culture is clearly working far too well to create a stable, prosperous society for its people. This is why Japan needs more muslim and African immigrants, or something.
In Japan, the trains arrive and leave the station exactly when they are supposed to. You show up 20 seconds late and the train will be gone. They don’t operate on Amtrak standards.
The Shinkansen has been running high-speed trains for over 50 years with, as far as I can tell, one fatal accident that involved a pedestrian who got onto the tracks. Again, not Amtrak standards.
To play devil’s advocate, it’s not Amtrak’s fault if and when vehicles cross the tracks at the wrong time.
Window seat coming for him!
“He has dishonored his family.”
Hope he wasn’t last seen headed into the family shrine with the family ceremonial knife and sword seppuku set...
As I have pointed out in other threads, Western Europe and Japan have the train systems they do today because we blew their previous stuff to smithereens in WW2 then paid to rebuild them so they wouldn’t remain 3d world sh!tholes for any longer than necessary. Part of that rebuild was separating the train right-of-way from any interaction with a highway right-of-way. Thus, they have true high-speed rail that cannot interact with a random event like a vehicle driver crossing the rail line. Also, the dedicated passenger high-speed-rail line has no interaction with freight movements.
That's how it should be in the U.S.
Japan must be getting soft. There was a time when that guy would have fallen upon his sword for such a grievous faux pas.
Imagine that happening here.
He would have been fired for racism.
Because there certainly would have been someone of aggrieved status who hadn't gotten his/her lardass on the train.
“Western Europe and Japan have the train systems they do today because we blew their previous stuff to smithereens in WW2 then paid to rebuild them so they wouldn’t remain 3d world sh!tholes for any longer than necessary.”
You wouldn’t believe the Americans who don’t know that. Anything that happened before they were born is ancient history and irrelevant to life today.
An unfortunate result of real history not being taught.
“Part of that rebuild was separating the train right-of-way from any interaction with a highway right-of-way. Thus, they have true high-speed rail that cannot interact with a random event like a vehicle driver crossing the rail line. Also, the dedicated passenger high-speed-rail line has no interaction with freight movements.”
In the U.S. freight traffic ALWAYS has priority over passenger traffic for the simple reason that freight is more profitable.
If passenger rail didn’t play second fiddle to freight more passengers might use rail. But under the current system there is no incentive to increase passenger service to the point where it would be profitable. Catch 22.
The country’s debt situation is so bad I don’t know if we could afford to build a separate passenger rail system from scratch. :(
it’s not Amtrak’s fault if and when vehicles cross the tracks at the wrong time.
You nailed it.
This train scheduling mishap is a symptom of a deeper societal problem.
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