Driverless Muni Metro train takes off in tunnel

In this file photo, a Muni operator examines a Metro car door in the Muni tunnel. A Muni Metro train loaded with passengers Wednesday pulled away from Castro station without its operator after the driver got out to fix a door. less In this file photo, a Muni operator examines a Metro car door in the Muni tunnel. A Muni Metro train loaded with passengers Wednesday pulled away from Castro station without its operator after the driver got ... more Photo: Courtesy, Samson Wong Photo: Courtesy, Samson Wong Image 1 of / 3 Caption Close Driverless Muni Metro train takes off in tunnel 1 / 3 Back to Gallery

(11-13) 17:00 PST SAN FRANCISCO -- A Muni Metro train loaded with passengers pulled away from Castro Station without its operator Wednesday after the driver got out to fix a door and possibly forgot to set the emergency brake, agency officials said.

A rider brought the train to a halt in the tunnel between the Castro and Forest Hill stations by activating the emergency brake, Muni said.

Passengers were never in danger because the train was under automatic control, said John Haley, director of transit for the Municipal Railway. But the incident is under investigation, and the operator is on paid leave and is undergoing routine drug and alcohol testing, Haley said. The driver's name has not been released.

The incident happened on the KT-Ingleside/Third Street train about 10:15 a.m. As the outbound train was preparing to leave Castro Station, the operator noticed a "problem with one of his doors" and left the train to close it, Haley said.

Under normal procedure, the train operator must first apply the emergency brake before getting out. Haley said officials are trying to determine whether the driver neglected to do so in this case.

Once the operator closed the door, Muni's automatic control system believed everything was in order and remotely activated the train to get it to the next station, Haley said.

As the train began rolling through the tunnel toward Forest Hill, a man came down the aisle "nearly frantic," yelling that the operator wasn't on board, said a passenger, Susan Moore, 58, of San Francisco. One of the 30 passengers pulled a door release, which activated the train's brakes and brought it to a complete stop, Haley said.

Alerted to the situation, a Muni dispatcher sent a mechanic to the scene, Haley said. The mechanic arrived in 12 minutes and brought the train to the Forest Hill Station at 10:35 a.m., Haley said.

The train is being examined for any mechanical problems, he said.

"I think the point here is the train was under control by the automatic train control system at all times," Haley said. "The system worked the way it was designed."

But Moore said, "A group of us were talking, and all acknowledged there could have easily been the potential for something far worse, as the train was moving with no driver. Is it not Muni's responsibility to ensure safety of its passengers?"