Reminds me of a transit system proposal I saw in the mid 1990s.
It would have used pods shaped like glider cockpits suspended beneath an I-beam rail system. Touch screen controls, air bags to survive a fall from the overhead rail, collision avoidance radar to prevent accidents with other pods, IP like routing to limit system congestion through smart routing, remotely managed cargo pods, automated pod management using spiral stacked holding areas for pods to manage rush hour demands, the works.
It was nice for a local transit system, but it would not work on a regional or national scale. It would have to be part of a feeder system. You could commute to work or you could take a pod from home or work to the nearest regional express train station or HSR station.
