Thanks to Japanese help, San Francisco is finally saying goodbye to floppy disks in its subway system.

San Francisco’s subway system, called Muni Metro, still uses a 5.25-inch floppy disk system to operate the subway. Employees had to physically load the software from floppy disks every morning. This system was introduced in 1998 and was expected to last for 20 to 25 years. In other words: replacement is urgently needed.

The organization behind the subway has signed a $212 million contract with Japan’s Hitachi Rail. This deal was intended to modernize the entire subway system and eliminate floppy disks. The outdated system was prone to breakdowns, causing the subway to experience regular delays. Spare parts were picked up on eBay.

Japanese upgrade is coming

Hitachi Rail introduces the brand new CBTC train control system. This promises significantly faster data transmission, better and modern tracking of trains and hopefully significantly fewer delays. London and Vancouver also use this technology. However, the transition could take a few years as Kill Floppy is only a small part of the overall modernization project.

Perhaps our own NMBS could use such a modernization project one day. The 4G quality on our trains still leaves a lot to be desired. Not to mention the delays…

Floppy disks sound like Stone Age technology, but they are even more widespread around the world than you think. Organizations that still use floppy disks are now beginning to realize that the technology needs to be updated.

Additionally, physical storage devices have a limited shelf life, so continued use of floppy disks over a long period of time can have dramatic consequences. In addition to the San Francisco subway, the Japanese government and the German Navy also recently decided to put an end to floppy disks.