I run on a tourist line - we may be one of the longest in the country at over 100 miles (for our longest run), but keeping a precise schedule is not paramount for the vast majority of our trips.
That said, we occasionally encounter passengers who figure that if the train is scheduled to depart at, say, 12:30 PM, they should arrive at the station at 12:30 PM. Not early. And they often have trouble wrapping their heads around the concept.