Learn Hardcore Japanese: densya ga okurete mo, awatenai you ni site imasu. - Even if the train is late, I try not to panic.

電車が遅れても
→ neutral statement: Even if the train is delayed… (simply describing what happens to the train)
電車は遅れても
→ contrastive/topic-like: Even if (at least) the train is delayed… (often implying a contrast with something else, like “the bus is on time, but the train is late”)

In this kind of “X が遅れても” pattern, が is the most natural choice when you’re just stating the condition without any strong contrast.

What exactly is 遅れて here? Is it the て-form of 遅れる?

Yes.

Dictionary form: 遅れる (to be late, to be delayed)
て-form: 遅れて

In this sentence, 遅れて is used as part of the pattern Vて + も:

遅れても = even if (it) is late / gets delayed

So 遅れて itself is just the て-form; combining it with も turns it into a conditional “even if / even when” phrase.

What does 〜ても mean in 遅れても?

The pattern verb-て + も usually means:

“even if ~”, “even when ~”, or “although ~”

So:

電車が遅れても
→ Even if the train is late / even when the train is delayed

It expresses that the following action or state still happens, regardless of that condition. Here, the following action is あわてないようにしています (I try not to panic), so the meaning is:

Even if the train is late, I (still) make sure I don’t panic.

What’s the difference between 遅れても and 遅れたら?

Both express a condition, but their nuance is different.

遅れても
- “Even if it’s delayed / even when it’s delayed”
- Emphasizes that the result doesn’t change even under that condition.
- More like: Regardless of the delay, I still do X.
遅れたら
- “If it’s delayed / when it’s delayed”
- A more neutral “if/when this happens, then X happens.”
- No built-in “even if / regardless” nuance.

Compare:

電車が遅れても、あわてないようにしています。
→ Even if the train is late, I make sure I don’t panic.
電車が遅れたら、連絡します。
→ If the train is late, I’ll contact you.

Using 〜ても in the original sentence specifically highlights your attitude despite the delay.

What does あわてない mean exactly? Is it just “not to panic”?

あわてる means:

to panic, to get flustered, to be in a hurry and confused, to lose composure

So あわてない (negative plain form) means:

not to panic, not to get flustered, to keep calm / to stay composed

In natural English, the whole sentence feels like:

Even if the train is late, I try to stay calm / I try not to get flustered.

So yes, “not to panic” is a good core meaning, but it also includes “not rushing around in a confused way.”

Why is あわてない in plain form when the sentence ends politely with 〜しています?

In Japanese, subordinate clauses (parts before things like ようにする, と思う, から, etc.) are normally in the plain form, even in polite speech.

Here, あわてない is inside the 〜ように clause:

あわてない
- ようにする

Then the whole thing is made polite with 〜しています:

あわてないようにしています。

So the structure is:

[plain form] あわてない
- pattern ようにする
- polite ending 〜ています

This is completely standard. Politeness is typically shown at the end of the sentence; inner verbs are often in plain form.

What does 〜ようにする (as in あわてないようにしています) mean?

〜ようにする is a very common pattern. Roughly it means:

to make an effort to ~
to try to ~
to make it so that ~ / to ensure that ~

The structure is:

[verb in plain form] ＋ようにする

Examples:

毎日日本語を勉強するようにしています。
→ I make an effort to study Japanese every day.
夜はコーヒーを飲まないようにしています。
→ I try not to drink coffee at night.

In your sentence:

あわてないようにしています。
= I make sure I don’t panic / I try not to panic.

So the core nuance is a conscious, ongoing effort or habit to achieve the state described before ように.

What role does に play in ようにする?

Here, よう is a noun-like word meaning “way,” “manner,” or “state.”
Structurally:

(あわてない) よう = “a state/way of not panicking”
ようにする = “to make it so (that it is) in that state”

The に marks よう as the target/result of する:

X にする often means “to make (something) X / to put (it) in state X.”

So:

あわてないようにする = “to make it so that (I) am in the state of not panicking”
→ naturally: to try not to panic / to ensure I don’t panic.

What’s the nuance difference between あわてないようにしています and just あわてません?

あわてません。
→ I don’t panic.
Simple statement of fact or current attitude. It doesn’t explicitly say anything about effort or habit.
あわてないようにしています。
→ I make an effort not to panic / I try not to panic.
Clearly expresses:
- ongoing, habitual effort
- a conscious policy or self-discipline

In context:

電車が遅れても、あわてません。
= Even if the train is late, I don’t panic. (sounds like a simple description)
電車が遅れても、あわてないようにしています。
= Even if the train is late, I make sure not to panic / I try to stay calm.
(emphasizes that you are actively working on this behavior)

Does 〜しています here mean “right now I’m doing it” or “I usually/always do that”?

In あわてないようにしています, 〜しています is the progressive/habitual form of 〜する:

It often means an ongoing habit, policy, or regular behavior, not just something happening this moment.

So あわてないようにしています usually means:

I make it a habit to not panic / I consistently try not to panic.

Taken with 電車が遅れても, the sentence describes your general stance or usual behavior whenever the train is late, not just what you’re doing at one specific moment.

Who is the subject in this sentence? Where is “I”?

Japanese often omits pronouns like “I,” “you,” “we” when they are clear from context.

In 電車が遅れても、あわてないようにしています。, the unspoken subject of あわてないようにしています is naturally “I” in most contexts:

(I) make sure not to panic, even if the train is late.

You could explicitly say:

電車が遅れても、私はあわてないようにしています。

…but in normal conversation, 私は is usually left out unless you need to emphasize or clarify who is doing the action.