New York's Ancient Subway Tech

New York's Ancient Subway Tech is Becoming a Serious Problem

On one level, it's remarkable that it's worked for eighty years.

By David Grossman

The New York City subway system is getting old. This might not surprise anyone who has ridden the busiest rapid transit rail system in America, as well as one of the longest and oldest. The New York Times recently took a deep look at the system, and issues as old as block signaling show how left behind the 24-hour subway is.

As trains started to become commonplace in the 19th century, it became necessary to track and direct the trains as they came into various stations on the same track. Timetables emerged, the idea spread to new technologies like telegraphs. Now, as part of a system that traces back to 1871, the tracks of the subway are divided into blocks, which are either "occupied" or "vacant." If a block has any amount of train on it, it counts as occupied. Each signal has a control length, showing how far its dominion extends down the tunnel, as well as lights that flash a green, yellow and red, to indicate a surprisingly large number of conditions.

It's a language the Metro would just as soon stop speaking, considering that many parts of this system are still using components from the 1930s. While the city promises that these components are safe, it has been trying for over twenty-five years to begin transitioning to computer-based systems without much success to show for it. One line, the L, has added computers which allow it make trains more efficient and reliable, but it has also faced overcrowding in recent years and is set for a shutdown to the need for critical repairs.

The process of improving the system is a complex and expensive one, requiring transponders every 500 feet of track, radios and zone controllers, and buying new trains or upgrading them with onboard computers and speed sensors, all on a system custom-built for the New York subway. The current estimates for total system renewal is 2045.

The infrastructure, while currently reliable, is over thirty years past its expiration date. It's a common situation in American infrastructure, from the 16-bit computers running the nuclear weapons to locks and dams, there's no shortage of projects that need a boost. President Trump has long promised a national infrastructure plan, which he says is coming within a few weeks. In January, Democrats showed off a trillion-dollar infrastructure plan of their own.

Source: New York Times