Abstract: A method and apparatus is capable of high-speed transportation of passengers and/or freight. Vehicles are operated along a guideway as a result of the interaction between vehicle lift, steering and propulsion apparatus, each of which includes coil assemblies that are mounted on the vehicle, and magnet assemblies mounted on the guideway. Vehicle propulsion is provided by the interaction of currents on the vehicle with time-varying magnetic fields that are generated along the guideway. The coils and magnets interact in accordance with the magnitude of electric current passing through the coils and the strength of the magnets' fields, to give lift and directional control to the vehicle. The lift and steering magnets provide substantially uniform magnetic fields so that the interaction between the lift coils and lift magnets, and respectively between the steering coils and steering magnets is substantially independent of positioning of the corresponding coils.