An elevated transit system has a pair of spaced apart guideways for supporting a vehicle. The guideways are supported on vertical columns above the ground. An emergency walkway extends between the guideways The walkway has a plurality of apertures to allow the passage of sunlight to the ground below.

An electrically powered vehicle transportation system utilizes a guideway with parallel enclosed rails. Each enclosed rail has an electrical bus bar for supplying power to vehicles on the guideway. The guideway will accommodate dual-mode vehicles that are capable of usage on conventional streets as well as on the guideway. The guideway also accommodates conventional vehicles and ferries that operate only on the guideway. The dual-mode vehicle has a body with axles that are extensible. The axles move from a retracted position, with the wheels recessed within the wheel wells, to an extended position. In the extended position, the wheels locate within the enclosed rails. Conventional vehicles and freight are carried on ferries that move along the guideways.

A system is provided that uses small carrier vehicles that operate along electrified guideways and use standardized connections to automatically carry load-carriers to desired destinations. The load-carriers may be passenger cabins, freight loads or automobile platforms and in each case are loaded and unloaded at separate loading and loading regions. Loading regions are preceded by queue portions of branch paths and may include a group of regions which may be a series of cabin loading regions along a branch path or may be automobile loading regions in side-by-side lanes. Passenger station arrangements are provided for rapid and efficient movement of passengers and for transfer operations when desired. Platform constructions and loading arrangements are provided for rapid loading and unloading and safe transport of automobiles.

A method is provided for controlling operation of a vehicle on a guideway system, wherein the vehicle includes a first element of a linear induction motor and an alternate power source, and the guideway system has an acceleration section including a second element of the linear induction motor, and a computer control system. The method includes utilizing the second element in cooperation with the first element so as to accelerate the vehicle on the acceleration section of the guideway system, and providing speed instructions to the vehicle using the computer control system so as to cause the vehicle to use the alternate power source to maintain a desired cruising speed on a main section of the guideway system.

A transportation system includes a guideway lane and a power cable assembly extending along the guideway lane. The system further includes a vehicle configured to travel on the guideway lane. The vehicle includes a self-centering transformer that is movable along the cable assembly and configured to cooperate with the cable assembly to transfer power to the vehicle. In addition, the transformer includes a magnet array that creates a magnetic field for centering the transformer-with respect to the cable assembly as the transformer moves along the cable assembly.