Overview
- Video from near Southern and Central avenues shows a driverless Waymo stopping on newly added light-rail tracks as a train neared, prompting the passenger to exit.
- Footage depicts the vehicle moving along the rail line for roughly 30 meters, stopping, then engaging reverse while a light-rail operator halted the train.
- Waymo said a Valley Metro employee reported the incident around 9 a.m., its Operations Control Center was notified, and rail staff responded on site.
- Valley Metro exchanged passengers between northbound and southbound trains before reversing direction to keep service moving, and the tracks were cleared by about 9:15 a.m.
- An ASU professor said recent construction and the year-old rail extension could have contributed to the detour, as the episode joins other high-visibility cases drawing scrutiny of Waymo’s expanding fleet.