An SUV tore through the Sunset Tunnel on the N-Judah line on Saturday, this time making it all the way through and out the other side at Cole and Carl Streets. While no one was hurt and no trains were collided with, the incident shut down train service through the tunnel for several hours while it was subsequently inspected.
Users of the Citizen app first reported the incident Saturday just after 1 p.m., with some initial reports suggesting there was smoke coming from the tunnel. That was not the case — a subsequent report stated that "The vehicle may have entered the tunnel at a high rate of speed, potentially kicking up dust and debris," which likely accounted for the sight of "smoke."
Vehicle Entered MUNI Tunnel @CitizenApp
Noe St & Duboce Ave Aug 17 1:17:26 PM PDT
The tunnel that connects Duboce Park to Cole Valley has been the site of many similar incidents, including this one in early 2017 in which a car caused damage to a switch in the train tracks and faced steep fines. As Hoodline reminds us, there were four such incidents of cars driving off Duboce and into the tunnel that year, all of them getting stuck, which led Muni to put up more signs, markings, and bumps along the trackway to signal to cars that they shouldn't be there.
Drivers unfamiliar with the area coming west (uphill) on Duboce Avenue do not always understand that part of the roadway is shared with Muni Metro light rail cars, and that the vehicle portion of the road veers left, while the train tracks veer right, into the tunnel.
The suspect vehicle in Saturday's incident was described as a "dark SUV," but it does not sounds as though police have any leads on a suspect.
The tunnel reopened at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, per Hoodline.