San Francisco, known for its technological cutting edge, It still relies on a railway control system that uses 5.25-inch floppy disks, a format that has been obsolete for decades. This situation, however, is about to change thanks to an ambitious modernization project.
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Muni Metro, the city’s public transportation system, has used this technology since 1998 to control the movement of its light trains in the Market Street tunnel.
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This urban stretch of almost five kilometers, which includes seven stations, functions as an underground subway while above ground it operates as a tram. Every night, staff reboot the control systems, loading software from floppy disks, which offer just 1MB of storage and are crucial for managing things like train spacing and proper speeds.
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The obsolescence of this system is not just a retro whim; Replacing it has been complicated and expensive in a culture where Public transportation does not receive the same priority as in other cities. However, the city board has approved a $212 million contract with Hitachi Rail to implement a new system that will use Wi-Fi and mobile data to track the location of trains.
The region known as Silicon Valley does not have a specific location, but rather extends along the San Francisco Bay, where companies are located.
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This project is part of a larger plan that totals 700 million dollars, destined to completely transform the control of the Muni Metro. According to the service, the new system is “five generations ahead” of the current one, promising more efficient and modern management.
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If all goes according to plan, San Francisco will ditch floppy disks and enter the digital age around 2027, although the full migration will take a few more years. Additionally, the new contract includes technical support for twenty years, ensuring that the city is not trapped in technological obsolescence again.
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