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> The other slightly odd part is that the system was put in in _1998_, at which point floppy dependence was already a _bit_ on the archaic side Yeah, but stuff

by sofixa 2y ago

> The other slightly odd part is that the system was put in in _1998_, at which point floppy dependence was already a _bit_ on the archaic side Yeah, but stuff like train signalling systems don't get a full overhaul every year. The system in question was probably designed a decade earlier, and just evolved bit by bit. But it's definitely funny in context. For reference, in the same timeframe Paris was constructing its first fully automatic (no driver) metro line, after the successes in Lyon, Toulouse, Lille a decade prior. Toulouse and Lille have fully automated metros.

danudey 2y ago
Expo '86 in Vancouver is when they launched the Skytrain, a completely automated, driverless system which continues to be automated and driverless today. Granted Vancouver is smaller than probably any of the other cities mentioned, but it's still interesting that the technology existed so long ago (and, apparently, ran on OS/2? That's what I've heard, anyway). https://vancouversun.com/news/metro/inside-the-skytrain-control-room https://vancouversun.com/news/metro/inside-the-skytrain-cont...
- rsynnott 2y ago
  ... Huh. I had it in my head that this was a tiny slow system, I think because I'd somehow conflated it with Seattle's smol monorail (which I think was also designed to be automated, though that ultimately did not happen). It's... a lot bigger than I thought, fairly impressive for 1980s automation. Apparently some London tube lines used ATO since the 60s, though it was kind of the equivalent of ADAS Level 3; the driver had to be _there_, and occasionally do stuff (in particular they're responsible for opening the doors, presumably so that they don't drift off entirely).