SF Muni Riders Say Morning Train Barreled Through Stop, Felt Like It Could Derail

San Francisco’s Muni is investigating after riders on the N Judah train reported a frightening Wednesday morning commute that they said seemed to go largely unaddressed.

About 8:38 a.m., a train headed east coming out of the Sunset Tunnel barreled through its usual stop at Duboce Avenue and Noe Street, making multiple S curves along the track at abnormal speeds. Many passengers standing in its packed aisles were knocked over, according to people on the train.

“It was definitely scary. I had people fall on me as we were going around the first curve. There were a couple loud yells, but then the train didn’t really stop immediately,” said Jack Logar, whose usual work commute on the N Judah was interrupted by the incident. “It definitely seemed like for at least five seconds, maybe longer, the train was just flying.”

Logar and other riders said the train came to an abrupt stop about half a block past its usual drop-off point, where all of the passengers exited. After it was cleared, the train moved a bit farther toward the station at Duboce and Church Street, where Muni attendants were seen boarding and assessing it.

The train was put on hold, and Muni was investigating, according to spokesperson Erica Kato. She said there were no reports of injuries.

Logar said it felt like the driver didn’t apply any brakes until about 100 yards past the station, in front of Duboce Park Cafe. Another rider said that as the train was going through the tunnel, they heard a loud sound and the train picked up speed rapidly as it went downhill. It took two curves at high speeds, jerking and knocking people forward.

“It seems like we were pretty close to derailing, and it seems like we narrowly avoided what could have been a major accident,” Logar said. “It was definitely out of control.”

As the train came out of the tunnel, it blew past its usual stop onto Duboce Avenue. Kenny Sandon, another rider en route to work, wrote via email, “thank goodness no pedestrians or cars were hit as that is a shared roadway.”

One person commenting on a Reddit thread about the morning’s incident said that given the busy intersection where the close call occurred, “I’m surprised someone’s Tesla didn’t get t-boned.”

“Perhaps SF needs more funding for Muni maintenance and less free concerts,” another said.

Logar and other riders told KQED that there wasn’t any announcement from a train attendant when the vehicle came to a stop, but when the doors opened, riders took it as a cue to get off. One said they smelled burning plastic.

Sandon said the driver exited the vehicle, visibly shaken and was saying in passing that the train wouldn’t stop.

As of midday, there hadn’t been any report on the Muni Alert website, but a number of riders said they had submitted complaints to the agency. Logar said he didn’t expect any acknowledgement from the Municipal Transportation Agency.

“A lot of people would agree that San Francisco city departments have a lot of trouble self-regulating,” he told KQED. “I was very doubtful about any reports to Muni actually leading to any change or removing a driver if they acted inappropriately. This is clearly a very unsafe event, and I honestly doubt Muni and [San Francisco’s] ability to self-police.”