This is fundamentally a non-contact, no-wear system in normal on track operation. There are no moving parts (except the electrical pickup) so that on track failures should be rare. The passive magnetic levitation system is effective whenever a vehicle is moving on track at more than the transition speed of perhaps 5mph. It can fail only by becoming detached from the vehicle. Because they are not being used, wheel failures on track are not a possibility except during the short period while vehicles are moving to an exit following some other failure. Propulsion failure for an individual vehicle is possible but unlikely, because the induction drive has no moving parts. Should it occur the affected vehicle may be pushed or pulled by one of its neighbours to the next exit point. A stoppage on any track section will result in vehicles intending to use it being diverted by the adaptive routing system onto alternative routes.

A failure of the power supply or control system will result in loss of drive and routing for the vehicles on the track system. The vehicles own battery may then be used to move, either magnetically levitated, or on their wheels, to the next exit point. Emergency braking will be computer controlled, with all vehicles on a track section and feeder sections, starting to slow at the same time and at the same standard rate. Control of this will be duplicated Ð via track control and also, via direct vehicle to vehicle links.

As the control system will have several levels with overlapping areas of control, part failure of any one level can be arranged to result in a limited loss of system performance, not a wide area breakdown.

Construction costs