Japanese train company forced to apologise - the reason will infuriate all British people

Rail travel in the UK is great isn’t it?

If, and it’s a very big if, your service hasn’t been cancelled due to a  train somehow going missing or a leaf on the track, you’ve got the joys of an inevitable seating reservation mix-up, a delay en route, a buffet car (if there is one) that charges a fiver for a Mars bar, a blocked toilet, the air con not working and a probable diversion to Chesterfield (even if you’re trying to get to Brighton). Still, that’s all fine because you’ve only paid £287 for your single ticket so really it’s a bargain.

Of course, some operators are worse than others, but Southern customers in particular will know the feeling of pure helplessness and abandonment as they enjoy the delights of a packed carriage for an extra hour than they were bargaining for when they get stuck outside Victoria for no apparent reason.

Still, we’re Britain and we’re great aren’t we? So it’s probably way worse everywhere else in the world. Like Japan, for example, bet their trains are terrible!

And they are, because a rail company in Japan has apologised after one of its trains departed 20 seconds early.

See? They can’t run a train servic…..HOLD ON A SECOND. Early? Yes. Early.

The management of the Tsukuba Express line between Tokyo and the city of Tsukuba explained that they “sincerely apologise for the inconvenience” caused after a train that had been scheduled to leave Minami Nagareyama Station, which is just north of Tokyo, at 9:44:40 local time actually left at 9:44:20.

“The crew did not sufficiently check the departure time and performed the departure operation,” they said.

Apparently no customers complained.

Needless to say, UK rail users were somewhat mystified by this event.

Still, it’s comforting isn’t it? It would feel weird without the delays wouldn’t it.

Yeah. Yeah. Honestly, we don’t need these railways that run early, that would be terrible.

Yep, consider us happy. Reeeeeal happy.

(Image: Rex)