Food and Culture Can Indian Railways and Delhi Metro take a lesson or two from Japan?
BY DIPALI KUMAR
As Indians we are so used to unexplained delays and late-comings everywhere that it sounds unbelievable, almost a fantasy, that in Japan they apologise if a train gets delayed!
You are late to work again. And this time it really wasn't your fault. You didn't even stop to get your regular pick-me-up and handling the boss's disapproving look for the third time this week is getting you really down.
Pack your bags and move to Japan. Firstly, you will rarely be late as Japan's train system is well known for its punctuality. The train schedules are posted down to the minute and you can time your schedule to them, confident that they will be arriving at the exact minute that the schedule promises.
Complicated interconnecting rail systems
Tokyo has a rather complicated transport service. With two public subway operators: Tokyo Metro and Toei Subway who between them carry nearly 10 million passengers daily. Both systems operate in coordination with above-ground trains, which themselves link several hundred stations and ferry 26 million people around all corners of the sprawling megalopolis of Greater Tokyo, home to around 35 million people and the largest conurbation on Earth.
These layers of interconnecting rail systems make punctuality all the more important – a minor delay on one train can have a knock-on effect on another service, which in turn throws several more out of kilter, each one of them setting off its own ripple effect.
In the event of a train getting delayed this is what happens
But when delays do occur – even as little as a minute – they are repeatedly announced to passengers along with humble apologies until normal service resumes. In fact, conductors have been known to go around to every passenger and apologize.
To deal with obnoxious bosses, all you need to do is pick up a train delay certificate. Station attendants stand on the platform or else at the ticket gate handing out the certificates to exiting passengers. If not, you can go to the counter by the ticket gate and say
Chien shoumeishou onegai shimasu? (May I please have a chien shoumeishou?)
That is your train delay certificate. The right and left side indicate the average delay time, usually between 10 minutes and two hours. One of the case will be signed or stamped accordingly. The lower part gives the date, and the middle the reason of the delay. Certificates are generally issued for any delay of 5 minutes or more.
The train delay certificate can be accessed on even on the phone
With the advent of the internet and modern smartphones, Japan's railway companies have implemented new online Train Delay Certificates that can be accessed by your smartphone or computer. If you are unable to acquire a certificate at the station where you disembark from the train, you can always pull it up on your phone or computer when you arrive at your destination.
Another thing to note is that the electronic certificates are stored on each company's site for some period of time, typically at least one week, so if your boss asks you why you were late 3 days ago, you can give definitive proof. At least, in Japan you get the last word not your boss.
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A finicky foodie and more of an armchair traveller these days, Dipali Kumar ends her evenings with chilled glass of Sauvignon Blanc even as she dreams she is in a vineyard in New Zealand.