Sony's e-ink smartwatch
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Trains leaving early? Crazytalk!
Pfft. If you've got a connection to make and you're running late, that's the one time they do run early.
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I've seen planes leave early, but that's because they have a passenger manifest and can know when everyone's aboard. Trains use the opposite approach, never leaving before time but not requiring that people be checked onto the train either. It is less certain, but gives a lot more operational flexibility (both to the train operator and the passengers).
Or they do this in civilised parts of the world. The USA might do things differently.
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I've seen planes leave early, but that's because they have a passenger manifest and can know when everyone's aboard. Trains use the opposite approach, never leaving before time but not requiring that people be checked onto the train either. It is less certain, but gives a lot more operational flexibility (both to the train operator and the passengers).
Or they do this in civilised parts of the world. The USA might do things differently.
Not sure about the scoots in places that have 'em -- but Amtrak doesn't pull out early from the major station stops, because that's where you can step off the train for a bit and stretch your legs. I don't think they pull out early from minor halts either -- with dwells in the five-minute range or less, there just isn't much difference between that and highballing the stop altogether.
Of course, there are crew change stops, too...which are a whole another kettle of fun. Especially when the train needs extra crew due to being detoured over territory it's not normally run over...
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Trains can leave early in the UK, depending on the station. It won't leave certain stations (usually the bigger ones) before a certain time, and this stops it from building up a big difference from the timetable, so that on the smaller stations it won't be more than a couple of minutes early ... probably.
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It won't leave certain stations (usually the bigger ones) before a certain time, and this stops it from building up a big difference from the timetable, so that on the smaller stations it won't be more than a couple of minutes early ... probably.
Busses in some parts of the US are like this. They'll sit happily for half an hour at one stop to catch up to how early they were, but if you're getting on at a little stop, it's best to be insanely early and hope to catch a bus before the bus you'd need to be on time. Once they start getting late, though, no power on Earth will make them run on time for the rest of the day.
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Busses in some parts of the US are like this. They'll sit happily for half an hour at one stop to catch up to how early they were, but if you're getting on at a little stop, it's best to be insanely early and hope to catch a bus before the bus you'd need to be on time. Once they start getting late, though, no power on Earth will make them run on time for the rest of the day.
Agreed on busses, although it's not that bad here with our local transit system -- usually, it's either one or two runs that are terribly delayed and/or called off early, or every bus on that route is called off early.Trains, on the other hand, can go from an hour and a half late (darn it, 'spacher!), to an hour early (giant detour FTW?), to just about on time (dang it, who put these tiny sidings in?) over the course of a day's trip.
