Aug. 6—San Francisco transportation officials want to replace the "antiquated" infrastructure that uses floppy disks to run the Muni Metro light-rail system and awarded the first contract Tuesday for the roughly decadelong project.
The $700 million project to replace Muni Metro's train control system with a modern one would be its first upgrade in almost three decades. The city installed the current train control system in 1998, which requires loading three-and-a-half inch floppy disks each morning to operate the light-rail network.
Dan Howard, the project's manager at the Municipal Transportation Agency, told the city's transportation board Tuesday that the upgrade is necessary because the current train control system "is already showing signs of obsolescence."
"We've received notifications from our supplier that there's certain parts that we can no longer obtain," Howard said. As a result, Howard said agency officials have sought difficult-to-source parts from other transit agencies and eBay.
Agency officials have pointed to the floppy-disk train control system for past meltdowns and subway delays. The more outdated Muni Metro's train control system becomes, the more the light-rail system is prone to delays and failures, officials said.
The agency's board of directors unanimously approved the first contract for the project — a $30 million deal awarded to San Francisco engineering firm PGH Wong. The firm, which has experience working with BART, will consult the SFMTA, assist with the design and engineering of the new train control system and manage the project's construction in which the transportation agency will effectively serve as its own general contractor.
"This is a big job. There are lots of things that can go wrong, and I think we really need to be in a position where we're relying on consultant assistance for a good chunk of the work," said board Director Steve Heminger.
The PGH Wong contract still requires approval from the city's Board of Supervisors. Howard said the agency planned to ask the transportation board to approve a contract for a supplier of the new train control system in October, with construction scheduled to start in 2027.
The contract comes as the SFMTA faces a $214 million budget deficit beginning in fiscal 2026, which starts July 2025. That's when the agency will encounter its fiscal cliff and the start of annual nine-figure operating shortfalls without any more planned federal or state funding to cover the balance.
Reach Ricardo Cano: [email protected]; Twitter: @ByRicardoCano
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