Metro-North trains leave GCT a minute late

Article in The New York Times, October 16, 2009:

The Secret New York Minute: Trains Late by Design

by Michael M. Grynbaum

For a commuter rushing to catch a train, a minute can mean the difference between dinner with the family and leftovers in the microwave.

What most passengers do not realize is that their minute is already there.

Every commuter train that departs from New York City — about 900 a day — leaves a minute later than scheduled. If the timetable says 8:14, the train will actually leave at 8:15. The 12:48 is really the 12:49.

In other words, if you think you have only a minute to get that train — well, relax. You have two.

The phantom minute, in place for decades and published only in private timetables for employees, is meant as a grace period for stragglers who need the extra time to scramble off the platform and onto the train.

“If everyone knows they get an extra minute, they’re going to lollygag,” explained Marjorie Anders, a spokeswoman for the Metro-North Railroad. Told of this article, Ms. Anders laughed. “Don’t blow our cover!” she said.

Entirely hidden from the riding public, the secret minute is an odd departure from the railroad culture of down-to-the-second accuracy.

The railroad industry literally helped invent the concept of standard time, and time zones were established in the United States in the 1880s, 35 years before they were written into law.

And most commuters know their train by the precise minute it departs; John Cheever, chronicler of the Grand Central commuter set, titled one memorable short story “The Five-Forty-Eight.” (Turns out it was the 5:49.)

The trains quickly make up the minute: at all other stops, the public timetable prevails.

The courtesy minute does not exist at commuter railroads in Chicago, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, or San Francisco.

But in New York, railroad enthusiasts said, the secret minute dates back decades.

"That’s

[quote user=“wanswheel”]

Article in The New York Times, October 16, 2009:

The Secret New York Minute: Trains Late by Design

by Michael M. Grynbaum

For a commuter rushing to catch a train, a minute can mean the difference between dinner with the family and leftovers in the microwave.

What most passengers do not realize is that their minute is already there.

Every commuter train that departs from New York City — about 900 a day — leaves a minute later than scheduled. If the timetable says 8:14, the train will actually leave at 8:15. The 12:48 is really the 12:49.

In other words, if you think you have only a minute to get that train — well, relax. You have two.

The phantom minute, in place for decades and published only in private timetables for employees, is meant as a grace period for stragglers who need the extra time to scramble off the platform and onto the train.

“If everyone knows they get an extra minute, they’re going to lollygag,” explained Marjorie Anders, a spokeswoman for the Metro-North Railroad. Told of this article, Ms. Anders laughed. “Don’t blow our cover!” she said.

Entirely hidden from the riding public, the secret minute is an odd departure from the railroad culture of down-to-the-second accuracy.

The railroad industry literally helped invent the concept of standard time, and time zones were established in the United States in the 1880s, 35 years before they were written into law.

And most commuters know their train by the precise minute it departs; John Cheever, chronicler of the Grand Central commuter set, titled one memorable short story “The Five-Forty-Eight.” (Turns out it was the 5:49.)

The trains quickly make up the minute: at all other stops, the public timetable prevails.

The courtesy minute does not exist at commuter railroads in Chicago, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, or San Francisco.

But in New York, railroad enthusiasts said, the secre

When I worked in GCT, back in the '60s, that extra minute was a well-kept secret. Most of the trains, and platforms, were long. It gave the passengers a bit of time to get to their cars. One could, if lucky, skirt the closed gate and run for the train. BTW, the trains were ‘carded’ to the one-half minute at stations, back then, in the ETTs. Quite a feat! I’m sure the engineers were either proud of that or hated it.

What are the ETTs?

ETT = “Employee Time Table”, quite different from those issued to the public.

Similar minute discrepency between NJT ETT and public timetables at NYP. However, Jersey side terminals never did that mainly because trains often were (are) held for boats or PATH (Tubes) at the descretion of the Station Master.