MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -- The Morgantown monorail known as the Personal Rapid Transit system is getting a $15 million overhaul.

West Virginia University's Board of Governors has approved renovations to help keep it a viable transportation system between campuses.

The PRT carries 14,500 passengers a day and was state-of-the-art when it opened as a demonstration project in 1975.

It's used by students, employees and visitors but is plagued by breakdowns. Parts have become difficult to find, and operational costs have skyrocketed.

A redesign and replacement of the on-board computer system should be done by the end of next year.

WVU will then work on redesigning and replacing the propulsion system with Bombardier.

Those, too, should be done by the end of next year.

Funding comes from the Federal Transit Administration and WVU Transportation funds.