One of the last floppy disk industries is finally modernizing

The Muni Metro Automatic Train Control System (ATCS) is set to get an upgrade to its operations that will put it approximately five generations ahead of its current system, which now runs on 5.25-inch floppy disks, the San Fransisco Chronicle reports.

The publication detailed that the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) board recently approved a $212 million contract in mid-October to move the updates forward – as part of its overall $700 million investment in upgrading the SFMTA. The contract entails that Hitachi Rail will transition the ATCS from its current 5.25-inch floppy disk system to one that uses Wi-Fi and cell signals to track exact train locations. The deal is still subject to final approval by the SFMTA Board of Supervisors.

The current ATCS floppy disk system has been in use since 1998 and utilizes a mix of automatic mode functioning when the trains are running in the subway and manual operations when they are moving above ground, a SFMTA spokesperson told Ars Technica.

The SFMTA has had plans to transition to a Muni Metro control system without floppy disks since 2018, with an aim of having the project completed in 2028. However, shutdowns during the pandemic delayed those plans.

Further prompting a need for updates, the software on the floppy disks is also now officially out of date, as it was expected to last for 20 to 25 years, Muni officials told the San Fransisco Chronicle.

As part of the agreement, Hitachi Rail has offered 20 years of support in addition to installing the new communications-based train control system. Still aiming for a 2027 to 2028 timeline for this arm of the plan to be completed, the SFMTA is looking at a 2033 to 2034 completion date for the entire $700 million project.

While it may seem like floppy disk may be long obsolete, there are a handful of industries and organizations that have kept them going strong. In addition to the Muni Metro, the aviation industry and some Boeing 747-400 planes use floppy disks to update navigation systems. The dancing figures at Chuck E. Cheese’s run on floppy disks. Some medical machines such as CT scans and ultrasound machines also use floppy disks. The owner of Floppydisk.com, who sells floppy disks and other legacy technology types, told The Register in 2022 he estimated his company had about four years left.