San Francisco Metro Still Runs on Floppy Disks from 1998, Risky Upgrades Delayed to 2030
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The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency relies on antiquated 5.25-inch floppy disks to run its metro system's Automatic Train Control System installed in 1998.
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The floppy disks are used daily to load software that runs the central servers connecting the trains.
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Plans to overhaul the system and eliminate the floppy disks started in 2018, but completion has been delayed to 2029-2030 due to COVID.
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The transportation agency has warned that the outdated system is increasingly difficult to maintain and risky to rely on long-term.
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Upgrading the system is expected to require retraining current employees, rather than job losses, as their expertise will still be needed.