What about Work ethic and professionalism?
Until things like "Minister is on board, let's prioritize this train" or "GM is visiting, let's get the repair and other works done" etc are not eliminated, this system will remain like this.
In European countries, if a train is delayed by 30 minutes, people start watching out for news. Such a situation does not only requires arrangements of good rakes and signaling and other advanced things but also a highly professional environment.