San Francisco's Train System Relies on Floppy Disks Until 2030
The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) is planning to upgrade its Muni Metro light rail's Automatic Train Control System (ATCS) from 5¼-inch floppy disks, which have been in use since 1998, to a more modern technology. The upgrade, expected to be completed by 2030, aims to address the challenges of relying on outdated technology, including data degradation and difficulty in finding workers familiar with the system. The SFMTA plans to develop in-house skill sets and provide training for existing staff while also hiring new skilled positions to support the new train control system.