A train must not leave a station where it is scheduled to receive passengers in advance of its scheduled leaving time unless:

• A. Authorized by Dispatcher or by the Timetable
• B. Authorized by the Conductor only
• C. Authorized by the Yardmaster only
• D. Authorized by the Engineer only

Answer: (A)

The key rule here is that a train must stick to its published schedule and can only depart early if a higher authority has explicitly given permission. The dispatcher has direct authority over train movements and can issue a clearance or instruction that allows leaving a station ahead of time, often to meet connections, recover from delays, or coordinate with other traffic. The timetable itself can also authorize such an early departure in specific, pre-approved circumstances. Without either of these, leaving before the scheduled time would violate the timetable and could create conflicts or unsafe conditions on the line.

Conductor, yardmaster, or engineer don’t have the authority to grant this exception. The conductor manages on-board operations and passenger service; the yardmaster handles yard movements and switching; the engineer operates the train under the dispatcher’s signals and orders. None of them independently authorize an early departure.