S.F. Muni approves $212 million technology to replace floppy disks

San Francisco transportation officials moved a step closer this past week to modernizing the train control system that runs the Muni Metro system, eventually ridding it of a system that uses outdated technology and runs on floppy disks.

The Municipal Transportation Agency board on Tuesday approved a $212 million contract with Hitachi Rail for an up-to-date train control system that will replace the existing system, which was installed in the Market Street subway in 1998.

The contract is part of a $700 million project to transform the Muni Metro’s control system.

The software that runs the system is stored on floppy disks that are loaded each morning and an outdated type of communication using wire loops that are easily disrupted. It was expected to last for 20 to 25 years, according to Muni officials. It moves data more slowly than a wireless modem, they said.

By late 2027 and into 2028, a new communications-based system, which employs Wi-Fi and cell signals to precisely track the locations of trains, will be installed by Hitachi, which will provide support services for 20 years under the agreement. 

The new technology purchase still needs to be approved by the Board of Supervisors.

While the current train control system operates only on the Market Street subway and Central Subway, the new system will control Metro light rail trains on the system’s surface lines as well.

The Hitachi system is said to be five generations ahead of the current system, said Muni Director of Transit Julie Kirschbaum, who described it as the best train control system on the market.

Reach Michael Cabanatuan: mcabanatuan@sfchronicle.com; X: @ctuan