Ben Lowry: If only we in NI were as averse to early trains as they are in Japan

Months ago I wrote about a Japanese rail company that apologised after a train left 20 seconds early.
By The Newsroom
Published 19th May 2018, 11:37 BST
Updated 8th Jun 2018, 08:36 BST
A railway company in Japan has apologised for a train leaving a station 25 seconds early, having recently apologised for a train leaving 20 seconds earlyA railway company in Japan has apologised for a train leaving a station 25 seconds early, having recently apologised for a train leaving 20 seconds early
A railway company in Japan has apologised for a train leaving a station 25 seconds early, having recently apologised for a train leaving 20 seconds early

Now a train has left 25 secs early. The company said the inconvenience to users was “inexcusable”.

It brings me back to a bugbear of mine, which is Translink services occasionally leaving a bit early.

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I keep copies of the Metro timetables of the buses that I use. Mostly the services are on time: if a bus is due to leave City Hall at 7.20pm, it usually does, with the maddening exception of drivers who leave 40 seconds or even a minute early.

In Northern Ireland, trains rarely leave main stations early but do occasionally leave intermediary stations early, such as MoiraIn Northern Ireland, trains rarely leave main stations early but do occasionally leave intermediary stations early, such as Moira
In Northern Ireland, trains rarely leave main stations early but do occasionally leave intermediary stations early, such as Moira

I often sprint from the office to make sure I am at a bus I must get a minute earlier than I need be there.

And as I mentioned last time, trains can leave mid-route stations a minute or more early (they never leave main stations early, perhaps because they are more closely monitored). But they make up time. Some of drivers meticulously never leave a station early but others do.

Moira is still an issue. I was on an early train on a recent Thursday heading to Portadown which left Moira two minutes five secs early, potentially wreaking havoc with the day of someone who is on time for a train but misses it. Do regular users there not complain?

• Ben Lowry (@BenLowry2) is News Letter deputy editor

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Related topics:Ben LowryJapanPortadownCity HallTranslinkMetroBrexit