Abstract: An automatic article transport system capable of transporting a plurality of articles to respective destination positions within a short time and at high efficiency. The system includes a plurality of fixed rails, a plurality of movable rails each capable of running along a pair of fixed rails, and a plurality of hoists capable of running on the movable rails and of lifting and lowering a member to be transported. Controllers are installed on the movable rails and the hoists, respectively. The system further includes a central controller having a table and a device for generating a path for a member to be transported, and transmitters for transmitting control electric power and control signals between the central controller and the controllers installed on the movable rails and the hoists. A transport path for a member to be transported is determined in the path generating device on the basis of data on members to be transported, transport sequence data, and equipment and structure data.