A rail transport system and method for a semiconductor fabrication facility (FAB). In one embodiment, the system includes a network of stationary rails and a wheeled vehicle movable on the rails via rolling movement. The vehicle is operable to hold a wafer carrier that stores a plurality of wafers. A cross-floor transport system is provided that may include a vehicle lifter positioned near the network of rails that extends between a first elevation and a second elevation in the FAB. The lifter is configured and operable to receive the vehicle from rails at the first elevation and vertically transport the vehicle to rails at the second elevation without removing the wafer carrier from the wheeled vehicle. In one embodiment, the lifter is configured so that the vehicle may be rolled directly onto and off of the lifter for vertical transport.