Delivery robot vs Brightline 🚆
🎥: trainwithgui/IG pic.twitter.com/psQvZqztlr
— Joel Franco (@OfficialJoelF) January 16, 2026
WASHINGTON — When a video went viral recently of a food-delivery robot being crushed by a Brightline train at a Miami grade crossing, most people viewed it as a source of one-liners. (“Looks like they ordered a smashburger,” one commenter said.)
One congressman saw it differently.
U.S. Rep. Jimmy Patronis (R-Fla.), who represents a district at the west end of the state’s Panhandle, this week sent a letter to the chair of the National Transportation Safety Board, Jennifer Homendy, calling for the NTSB to take action on the Jan. 15 incident and saying the incident raised “serious questions” about robots interacting with infrastructure.
“Given the rapid evolution of autonomous technologies, we must ensure that our transportation safety framework evolves as well,” Patronis said in a press release. “This incident highlights a gap in our understanding of how autonomous vehicles interact with railroad systems. It is important that we address these risks now before a more serious incident occurs.”
Patronis inquired about the status of an NTSB investigation into the incident and what recommendations the agency has developed, and asked a series of questions, among them:
- Did the incident trigger any of the NTSB’s reporting requirements?
- What investigative response, if any, is the NTSB pursuing or planning to pursue?
- Is the NTSB currently conducting a broader study of autonomous vehicles at railroad crossings?
The press release includes what is intended as a link to the full letter; the link is broken.
Trains has asked the NTSB if it is, in fact, investigating the incident and has any comment on the letter.
— To report news or errors, contact trainsnewswire@firecrown.com.
Every meal could become “road kill” specials. HAHA
Back when I was teaching regs I would point out the difference between the FRA and NTSB to my students. When the NTSB gets involved it usually involves a fatality and/or damage exceeding a certain threshold. This hardly meets NTSB criteria and they really have better things to do than appease a Panhandle Pygmie.
Patronis is just trying to show his constituents that he is on the job. His knowledge of who to talk to in this instnance shows he doesn’t know a car-train wreck issue from a 747 going down fully loaded into the side of a mountain…
“Smash burger…” That was a good one.
The thing is, the robot was stuck in the crossing for 15 minutes, long before the signals activated and the train arrived. It did not proceed across the tracks directly in front of the oncoming train, it was simply not designed and/or built well enough to navigate its environment. It’s not a traffic problem so much as a robot hardware and/or software problem.
I should add that there might be a maintenance problem, too. The autonomous delivery bot may have worn down its treads after toddling around Miami for a while.
I, too, wonder if the robot didn’t just get stuck trying to cross the tracks and could go no further. Do these robots have the ability to send out an SOS with llocation and problem?
It’s a basic programming failure. Our Tesla handles grade crossing just fine. I suspect the programmers for this delivery bot took a lessor approach because there are no passengers, which was a mistake on their part.
If a delivery robot can’t handle a crossing with both lights and gates, this is a major manufacturer design flaw and they should be fully culpable. This brand of robot should be immediately banned from any streets with rail crossings. Actually looked like it might have been stuck trying to cross the rails.
Presume robot was demolished and the loco unhurt. Danger is from flying robot debris should it hit a person.
What company manufactured and sold this deliverybot?
Can autonomous system look far enough to their sides to detect approaching trains?
I don’t have any answers but I do have a question. What insurance company in its right mind insures these robots. Or the robotaxis.
Oh while I’m at it, off topic. Read the article in the January 2026 “Chess Life” magazine about a chess tournament about the Mardi Gras train. For a moment I thought I was reading “Trains Magazine” instead of the chess periodical.
This isn’t the first time a delivery robot has come off poorly vs a train. A few years ago another one got nailed by a Portland & Western freight train, probably in or around Oregon State University. You can find video of that too.
The other day I was wondering how well autonomous vehicles such as Waymo’s robotaxis navigate railroad crossings, particularly ones without lights or gates. We should figure that out before we have a more serious train vs robot incident.
Here is an answer – people use the food delivery services because they are too lazy to go to the restaurant/cafe.
Wow. What an rude comment, and inaccurate too! I use delivery services because I can’t drive. Not every new advancement in technology / society is about helping lazy people, most times it’s about helping those who can’t / shouldn’t do something, like drive. If driverless taxis ever come to my area, I would use that too for the same reasons instead of relying on family and friends to get places.
Amazing how people can make sweeping, generalized and stereotypical statements without regard to other people’s needs or conditions. Apparently, actual evidence is unnecessary for Mr. Bottlemy to arrive at conclusions.