
San Francisco's Outdated Train System Relies on Floppy Disks Despite Upgrade Plans
The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency's Muni Metro light rail system still relies on 5¼-inch floppy disks for its Automatic Train Control System (ATCS), which was installed in 1998. Despite plans to upgrade the system and move away from floppy disks, the SFMTA expects the process to take several more years and cost hundreds of millions of dollars. While the system is currently functional, the agency acknowledges the increasing risk of data degradation and the challenges of maintaining the outdated technology, with plans to have a new train control system in place by 2029 to 2030.



