A traverser is installed to switch routes between the straight main line where the vehicle runs levitated at high speed and the curved branch line where the vehicle runs on wheels at low speed.
In the high-speed (traverser) type, the guideway is divided into several laterally movable beams, which shift to switch routes. On the Yamanashi Maglev Test Line, two shift-drive systems, electrical and hydraulic, are tested.Low-speed (sidewall-shifting) type
The sidewall-shifting type is employed at terminals where the line starts and ends; and where low-speed wheel runs takes place on the straight main line and curved branch line.
In this type the route is formed by merely shifting the sidewalls, instead of the girder, vertically or laterally. The front and rear ends permit the sidewalls to be moved laterally, while the midpart permits the sidewalls to be moved vertically.Train-depot type
For the Yamanashi Maglev Test Line, the train-depot type is adopted on the section where the vehicle is place on a tractor-pulled run. In this type, the vehicle is guided along the guide rail on the ground.
To the technologies of the Yamanashi Maglev Test Line