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The NY metro is infamously unable to scale, in large part because of extraordinary tech debt! The cost of each new line is stratospheric! They use century-old

The NY metro is infamously unable to scale, in large part because of extraordinary tech debt! The cost of each new line is stratospheric! They use century-old manual track routing cables! You might think this is a clever take but it's really not far from the truth. They NEED a revamp on a modern tech stack so they can use the trains, electronics, and technology trains in the rest of the world run on.

woodruffw 4y ago
The subway’s issues are mostly physical, not in software: the city (really, the state) contracts virtually everything around fare collection out to Cubic, and they do an okay enough job. See for example the OMNY card, which rolled out surprisingly fast. In other words: the things that are currently falling apart (the physical relays, for example) are almost completely disconnected from fare collection (which is what the article’s about). The latter runs pretty well; replacing it with a modern tech stack rather than the current incremental approach wouldn’t have many benefits.
devwastaken 4y ago
In 20 years all current software stacks will be legacy and equally if not more unusable. We rely significantly more now on tooling to just "do it for us". That tooling relies heavily on the OS it runs on and makes assumptions.
- chinabot 4y ago
  If you diddnt do updates I seriously doubt the stack would survive 2 years. The joys of modern interconnected systems
nickbauman 4y ago
I believe your comment might be a bit too broad for the claims you're making. Arguably, the most advanced "tech stack" for moving trains around rail systems today (at scale, with the highest safety rating) is based around the Sicas ECC electronic interlocking by Siemens. However, this article is merely about the technology used for collection of fares for the NYC metro rail system.
bontaq 4y ago
A modern tech stack won't help that much, there are other issues. > Most subway services cannot significantly increase their frequencies during rush hours, except for the 1, G, J/Z, L, and M trains (the L service already is automated with CBTC). > However, even without CBTC, the system is currently retrofitted to operate at frequencies of up to 60 trains per hour (tph) on the IND Queens Boulevard Line (30 tph on each of the local and express pairs of tracks made possible by the Jamaica–179th Street terminal, which has four sidings past the terminal for each set of tracks) and 33 tph on the IRT Flushing Line. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Signaling_of_the_New_York_City_Subway https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Signaling_of_the_New_York_City...

woodruffw 4y ago

The subway’s issues are mostly physical, not in software: the city (really, the state) contracts virtually everything around fare collection out to Cubic, and they do an okay enough job. See for example the OMNY card, which rolled out surprisingly fast. In other words: the things that are currently falling apart (the physical relays, for example) are almost completely disconnected from fare collection (which is what the article’s about). The latter runs pretty well; replacing it with a modern tech stack rather than the current incremental approach wouldn’t have many benefits.

devwastaken 4y ago

In 20 years all current software stacks will be legacy and equally if not more unusable. We rely significantly more now on tooling to just "do it for us". That tooling relies heavily on the OS it runs on and makes assumptions.

chinabot 4y ago
If you diddnt do updates I seriously doubt the stack would survive 2 years. The joys of modern interconnected systems

nickbauman 4y ago

I believe your comment might be a bit too broad for the claims you're making. Arguably, the most advanced "tech stack" for moving trains around rail systems today (at scale, with the highest safety rating) is based around the Sicas ECC electronic interlocking by Siemens. However, this article is merely about the technology used for collection of fares for the NYC metro rail system.

bontaq 4y ago

A modern tech stack won't help that much, there are other issues. > Most subway services cannot significantly increase their frequencies during rush hours, except for the 1, G, J/Z, L, and M trains (the L service already is automated with CBTC). > However, even without CBTC, the system is currently retrofitted to operate at frequencies of up to 60 trains per hour (tph) on the IND Queens Boulevard Line (30 tph on each of the local and express pairs of tracks made possible by the Jamaica–179th Street terminal, which has four sidings past the terminal for each set of tracks) and 33 tph on the IRT Flushing Line. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Signaling_of_the_New_York_City_Subway https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Signaling_of_the_New_York_City...