Early trains

I got to the train station a healthy two minutes before the train was due to leave this morning.

Unfortunately, the train got to the station three minutes early, so I got to wave good-bye to it as it left.

I'm not one of these people who think their world is collapsing if their train is three minutes late, but trains leaving early is another story. There are all sorts of reasons a train can be late for circumstances out of their control: mechanical difficulty, sick or aggressive passengers, cows walking across the track. But early? There's no excuse for the train leaving early, not ever. If the train makes better time than expected and arrives early, wait at the damn station for the clock to tick over. It isn't a race and there is no prize for leaving the station without the passengers. A time-table is a promise, and while I can forgive running late due to circumstances beyond their control, I can't forgive deliberately leaving before the promised time.