Overview
- Video from near Southern Avenue and Central Avenue shows a driverless Waymo entering the northbound tracks around 9 a.m., stopping, and a passenger exiting as trains approached.
- Waymo said its Operations Control Center was alerted and Valley Metro staff managed the scene, exchanging passengers and reversing trains to keep service moving.
- The scene was cleared by 9:15 a.m. with no reported injuries, and the passenger left the vehicle safely, according to the company.
- Reports indicate the car traveled along the tracks, attempted to reverse, and later exited without a collision as light-rail operators halted traffic.
- Observers noted recent construction and a new light-rail extension in the area as potential factors under review, and a rider described a similar brief track detour in Mesa in December.