In 2024, the San Francisco subway still depends on floppy disks to operate

San Francisco’s subway system, Muni Metro, still uses floppy disks of 5¼ inches for its operation, a relic that dates back to 1998. Faced with the possibility of a “catastrophic failure,” the city has approved an investment of 212 million dollars to modernize its railway infrastructure.

The current Automatic Train Control System (ATCS) has exceeded its 25-year lifespan and relies on software loaded via floppy disks. Every day, these floppy disks automatically connect and disconnect trains in underground stations, creating serious maintenance problems.

“It is crucial to replace the train control system, which has been obsolete for decades,” said Jeffrey Tumlin, director of the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA), according to the Xataka portal. The goal is to eliminate floppy disks and modernize the system with Wi-Fi technology to track trains in real time.

The project will be developed in several phases, with a total budget of 700 million dollars. The first improvements will be implemented between 2025 and 2028 in key sections of the city. By 2032, the entire metro network is expected to have advanced technology.

Globally, various infrastructures still rely on outdated technologies. Examples of this are the systems of Germany, Japan and even the United States, which until a few years ago used floppy disks to control their nuclear systems.

The use of obsolete technologies, in addition to operational risks, makes maintenance difficult due to the lack of technicians trained in systems from the 90s. The modernization of the Muni Metro seeks to prevent a “catastrophic failure” from paralyzing the transportation of millions of people.