‘A shock’: SFMTA, riders react to Muni train operator appearing to fall asleep at the wheel

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — Shocking footage of a San Francisco Muni train operator appearing to fall asleep during a September 24 morning commute has now been seen across the country.

“Any unsafe incident is one too many,” said Julie Kirschbaum, SFMTA’s Director of Transportation.

The video, released after a public records request, shows the operator with her head down at a stop, as riders board. Moments later, she sits back up as the train continues on. The footage shows her nodding off, as the train accelerates to 50 miles per hour. Suddenly, she wakes up startled as the train navigates a turn, barely avoiding a car as it emerges out of the Sunset tunnel near Duboce Park.

VIDEO: SF Muni operator appears to fall asleep while speeding 50 mph through curve, jolting passengers

Riders tell ABC7 News that the impact of the jolt brought them to their knees.

“It was scary. People around me were screaming, people were jolting to the side, trying to catch their balance,” said Estefani Aguilar, a Muni rider who takes the N-Judah light rail train daily to work. “An elderly man in front of me, he was in a chair, and he fell down.”

After the operator halts the train, you hear her trying to calm riders and blaming it on the brakes.

SFMTA says that the operator’s story isn’t true.

“Our investigation ruled out mechanical failure and determined the cause of the incident to be operator fatigue,” said Kirschbaum. “This is unacceptable. We are working hard to ensure accountability for this specific incident.”

Aguilar said until the video was released, she had no idea what really happened.

“I didn’t think she was at fault at that the time. Definitely a shock when I saw the video,” said Aguilar. “If there was no reason to be asleep really at that moment, then it’s really disheartening to hear.”

The operator is now on nondriving status, which has been the case since the incident.

SFMTA wouldn’t say how long the operator has been with the agency or if she had prior issues, citing personnel issues. ABC7 News reached out to the union that represents train operators on Tuesday and again on Wednesday and has not heard back as of Wednesday afternoon.

Kirschbaum also said there was no issue with staffing or overtime schedules.

“Muni rail operators are fully staffed for our scheduled service levels and their work hours are closely monitored to ensure compliance with state safety regulations,” said Kirschbaum. “This operator had driven 58 hours in the preceding two weeks and did not have any unexpected work rules.”

The agency says it regularly leads fatigue awareness education campaigns with its employees and did so immediately following the incident.

It had also already been working with Siemens on new train technology that will roll out in the coming months and cap train speeds at 25 mph on city streets.

“The safety of our passengers and the public is paramount, said Kirschbaum. “We are committed to doing everything we can to be sure that muni is a safe and reliable system.”

Aguilar said she still has to ride the train every day.

“I still think about it fairly often whenever I’m in a train tunnel and I can feel a train accelerating and I think about it,” said Aguilar. “Like most Americans, you have no other option. You have to take public transportation to work.”