Heart-Stopping Moment
Waymo Passenger Flees in Terror: Self-Driving Car Stranded on Train Tracks | WATCH
Harrowing video shows a Waymo passenger leaping from the self-driving car after it became stuck on Phoenix light rail tracks, escaping just as an oncoming train closed in.
A terrifying incident in Phoenix highlighted the risks of autonomous vehicles when a Waymo self-driving car became stranded on light rail tracks Wednesday morning, forcing its passenger to flee on foot as an approaching train bore down. The dramatic escape was captured on bystander video, showing the white Waymo vehicle positioned directly on the rails with the train visible in the distance. The passenger quickly exited and ran to safety, while the car continued moving along the tracks alongside the train.
A bystander recording the scene for TikTok could be heard exclaiming: “…the Waymo’s on the track, what an idiot. Here comes the train.” The vehicle, operating in one of Waymo’s commercial robotaxi markets alongside Los Angeles, San Francisco, Austin, and Atlanta, relies on 29 cameras and weekly software updates to navigate complex environments. Experts believe the car may have been confused by recent changes in the area, including nearby construction and the light rail line added within the past year, potentially interfering with its mapping system.
Andrew Maynard, a professor specializing in emerging technology at Arizona State University, expressed sympathy for the vehicle’s error: “I actually felt a little sorry for the car. It obviously made a bad decision and got itself in a difficult place.” He noted ongoing challenges for autonomous systems: “I think Waymo has a challenge because no matter what they do with their system, there are always going to be unexpected circumstances where they have to learn from them,” adding that self-driving cars remain “in many circumstances, safer than human drivers because they don’t have distractions, like a human driver does.”
Valley Metro, the regional public transportation authority, confirmed the incident occurred during rush hour around 9 a.m.: “At approximately 9 a.m. on Wednesday morning, a Valley Metro employee observed an autonomous Waymo vehicle on the northbound light rail tracks near Southern Avenue and Central Avenue in Phoenix.” The agency added: “Our Operations Control Center was immediately notified, light rail operations staff responded to the scene, and Waymo was contacted. To minimize service impacts, northbound and southbound trains exchanged passengers before reversing direction to continue service. The incident caused no significant delays and the scene was clear by 9:15 a.m.”
The event underscores the challenges of integrating autonomous vehicles into dynamic urban settings, where construction, new infrastructure, and unpredictable conditions can challenge even advanced systems. No injuries were reported, and Waymo has not yet issued a detailed statement on the cause of the malfunction.