The New York subway system runs on 100-year-old technology

From the looks of straphangers during rush hour, with their headphones, smartphones, and e-readers, it would be easy to miss how old the New York City subway system is.

But every day, hundreds of trains run through the largest subway network in the world on century-old technology. When things go wrong — as they have been doing more and more often— the delays pile up.

Let us not forget that we're heading into one of the most challenging times of year for the NYC system: cold and slush and ice and snow are all big challenges for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority

The MTA, a state agency responsible for the New York City subway, is fighting a budget battle to get the funds it desperately needs to update the century-old system. To garner public support, the agency took to YouTube earlier this year, uploading video of the antiquated signaling system and what’s being done to update it.

A crucial element of the MTA's capital plan is Communications Based Train Control (explained below). The technology is revolutionary for a system as old as New York City's, and installing it on just one subway line took six years and $288 million to complete. 

Scroll down to learn what's being done to improve a subway system that remains largely unchanged since its inception in 1904.

[An earlier version of this post was written by Graham Rapier.]

SEE ALSO: Here's what the NYC subway map looks like to a disabled person.

“In our system, it’s not just the architecture that’s 100 years old,” an MTA employee explains. “It’s a lot of the basic technology as well.”

Here, at the West 4th Street station, MTA employees log train movements by hand.

Every signal on each line is mapped on this board, which looks more like a an old board game than a method of keeping thousands of commuters safe and on time.