The United States got another reminder this week that despite billions spent by the Biden administration, crucial components of American transportation infrastructure are running on outdated technology.
Tens of thousands of San Francisco commuters were all dressed up with no place to go Friday when the city’s BART train system shut down just before sunrise.
By 9:00 a.m., with service still not restored, people from all around the Bay area scrambled for bus lines and ride sharing services or just plain gave up trying to go to work, according to a live feed from the city’s KPIX.
“Due to a computer networking problem BART service is suspended system wide until further notice. Seek alternate means of transportation.” Bart reported on X at 5:11 a.m. Pacific Time.
Then, at 9:30 a.m., BART took to X again, reporting service had been restored system-wide and showing a video of “our first passenger train.”
The stoppage was apparently caused by a computer networking problem. BART spokesperson Alicia Trost told news outlets the control center was unable to power up the system after its regular overnight shutdown.
The rail system covers more than 130 miles of track connecting San Francisco to the East Bay and other parts of the Bay area. It carries more than 150,000 riders a day and more than 50 million annually.
However, it debuted in 1972, and like some other components of the U.S. infrastructure, is badly in need of an update. Reportedly, the trains still run on Windows 98, which mechanics access through outdated laptops.
Trost told the Bay Area’s NBC affiliate of the stoppage: “It does happen from time to time, our system is over 50 years old. The good news is we’re in the process of replacing it. … But it’s awful news that the Bay Area can’t rely on BART as of this moment.”
Outdated software and transportation infrastructure problems took center stage this week in the air as well as on the ground.
On Thursday, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy called for an overhaul of the U.S. air traffic control system, citing a shortage of controllers and an antiquated computer system that still runs on floppy disks.
He said the problem has been ignored for decades, including by the Biden administration’s $1.2 trillion infrastructure legislation.
Lowell Cauffiel formerly lived in the Bay Area and is the best-selling author of Below the Line and nine other crime novels and nonfiction titles. See lowellcauffiel.com for more.
