Japan Railways Issued An Apology After Its Bullet Train Left 25 Seconds Early

Pretty much any public transportation here in the US can be expected to run behind. But the iconic bullet train in Japan is known for running exactly on schedule. Earlier this month though, the operators committed a “serious” error when the train left the station 25 seconds early.

The Drive reports the train was scheduled to leave at 7:12 am but the conductor thought departure was 7:11 am so when he closed the doors at 7:11:35 and realized he was early, panic set in. Rather than re-opening the doors and risk missing the 7:12 departure, he decided to leave 25 seconds early. Of course, there’s always that one person who complains, and that’s how the story got out and led to a public apology.