A San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) train operator was reportedly seen dozing off moments before an empty train collided with another in an incident captured on video.
The collision occurred on July 31 near 47th Avenue and Wawona Street, close to the San Francisco Zoo. Both trains involved were out of service and staging between scheduled runs at the time of the impact, meaning no passengers were aboard either vehicle.
The jolt of the collision awakened the operator, according to video footage first obtained by NorCal Bodycam. The impact shattered the windshields of both trains.
An investigation by the SFMTA is underway. "While the formal investigation of the collision is ongoing, vehicle and infrastructure issues have been ruled out, and the initial determination for the incident is operator error caused by fatigue," the agency stated, as reported by ABC News.
This incident follows a similar event in 2025, where a different train operator was captured on video appearing to be asleep at the controls. In that instance, a packed Muni Metro T Third light rail train made a sharp turn at speed, causing riders to be thrown to the floor. The operator in that incident was also jolted awake by the sudden maneuver and subsequently brought the train to a halt.
An investigation into the 2025 collision concluded that operator fatigue was the primary cause. In response, the SFMTA implemented a systemwide fatigue-awareness education campaign. This program aims to train transit operators on identifying early signs of exhaustion, managing sleep schedules, and preventing human-error incidents across the city's rail network.